


The Tale Before The Story

by JotunPrincess, Lotolle



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Blood and Gore, F/M, M/M, Magic, Suicidal Thoughts, Violence, meantion of rape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-06
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-01-07 16:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 145
Words: 250,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1121904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JotunPrincess/pseuds/JotunPrincess, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lotolle/pseuds/Lotolle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being held by Shield for a year Loki is finally being let out into the care of one Tony stark. Powerless, angry and half starved the two form an unlikely friendship. Some lies are actually truth, when dark secrets get exposed and there's a great deal of questioning. How much does the god of lies, lie?</p><p>This is the prequel to the story One Day Down Eternity To Go. This is also being posted on Deviantart with my co-author who does not have an account here on A03. Please comment, kudos and all that great stuff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tony couldn’t believe his rotten luck. He stood with the rest of the Avengers, his arms crossed and his lips pursed. 

“Thanks for throwing me under the bus, guys.”

“You know he’s not staying with me or Nat. We’ll kill him.”

“I’m not taking him in.” Steve said with a slight frown and Bruce nodded. 

“It’s been decided Stark.”

“Yeah, I’m glad my input had so much importance.” He said sarcastically then looked at the cell to his left. And there he sat, Tony’s new roommate for the next several years: Loki of Asgard. As if it wasn’t bad enough he’d have to let the god stay at the tower, he’d also have to play babysitter. 

“I am sorry to burden you with this Anthony, but returning him to Asgard means only death for his crimes.” Thor looked at the inventor, hoping he would understand. Tony nodded and rolled his eyes. 

“He has no powers?”

“None at all. His magic has been sealed and the seal can only be undone by myself or Director Fury. Be warned: he retains the rest of his godly ability.”

Loki watched them outside of the cell talking back and forth. Even in his current state he looked bored and unimpressed. He'd been told where he was going and he was no more impressed than he had been before.

Clint looked into the cell, glaring at him. The archer still wished they would just kill the Jotun off. Little did he know Loki felt much the same.

Four Shield agents entered the glass cell to get Loki to escort him and Stark back to the tower but not before binding him and putting the gag back on him.

Tony sighed heavily as they arrived back at the tower. He took a look around his home before looking at the god. The SHIELD agents removed the binds and shackles and handed them over to Tony just in case. They then left and it was silent for a moment. 

“We’re not going to get along, but things will be a lot easier if you cooperate.” Tony finally said as he looked at Loki. He hated this. Of all the places they could have stuck Loki, they picked Stark tower. But honestly, he couldn’t stay at SHIELD. Not the way they were treating the god. 

“I have a room set up for you. You have your own bathroom with a shower.” 

Loki perked up at the thought of a shower. He was slow on his feet still but would gain speed after some much needed rest and a few good meals. He gave Stark a simple nod waiting for him to lead the way.

Tony showed him to the room and into the bathroom. 

“Toilet’s over there and the shower is here. Oh hey look, a tub.” He was rather surprised to see a tub in there. Of course Tony didn’t go into the guest room much so he wouldn’t know much about it. 

“Your towels are in this small closet and your shampoo and body wash is in there. This one is for hot water and this one is for cold water. You just have to figure out how you want your shower.” Tony glanced at the god and felt just a bit bad that he looked so thin. Well, he always looked thin, but thinner than usual. He shook that thought from his mind. 

“I don’t know what you usually eat but there’s food in the kitchen so knock yourself out.” He walked back into the main bedroom area. “You have blankets and pillow cases already and clean sheets where the towels are.”

Loki nodded. He went over to the shower running the hot water first before turning on the shower.

"Thank you." He told Stark, but he did not look back at him as he turned finished setting the water for himself. Getting in Loki placed his hands on the wall for support letting the water simply run over him. He washed and dressed before going to find something to eat in the kitchen.

Tony was drinking at the bar, looking some things over on his tablet. 

“Hey Jarvis, rerun this scan for me.”

“Of course Sir. Also, it seems your guest is in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Tony didn’t look up from his work. He tapped his glass then tried a different sketch for his suit. 

“What if I put more insulation between the plates so the suit can absorb more impact?”

“Might I recommend your poly-foam, Sir? The tar-substance you normally use doesn’t absorb well.”

“Fine, we’ll try that. I want to put it in the abdominal region and see if we can’t make the suit waste less energy.”

“I could shut off your non-essential suit functions Sir and put them on manual command.”

Loki found the fridge well stocked with fruits, cheese, vegetables, meats and water. Grabbing a large plate Loki loaded it up and put everything back into place before sitting at the table and wolfing most of it down as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.

“Jarvis, don’t forget to…” He stopped when he saw Loki. Well, at least Thor wasn’t the only one that ate like that. Tony stared at the god for a minute then spoke up. 

“So, that whole eating like wild animal thing, did you learn that from Thor or did you teach him?” Tony set his tablet on his lap, looking at the god curiously. If they were going to live together, they may as well be on good terms. Or at least better terms. 

Loki swallowed the last bite he had in his mouth and abandoned the plate to head back to his room. He hadn't had a meal in about week so now he was making up for lost time in case Stark decided he didn't want to feed him either.

"Sir he hasn't eaten in nearly a week's time." Jarvis informed.

Tony frowned a bit. 

“A week?”

“Yes Sir.”

“That’s ridiculous; they had to be feeding him.”

“I’m afraid not Sir. Director Fury felt it was a good way to break the god, as he put it.”

Tony sat there in shock for a moment. Come to think, he’d never actually been told what Loki was going through while he was with SHIELD. He just assumed the god was being held there without his powers. Had they actually starved him?

"Director Fury wanted to see what limits he could push Loki to before he would break. He took away whatever books Thor brought him and withheld meals from time to time." Jarvis explained. He didn't know if he should share that fact that Loki had been beaten a few times as well.

“What the hell else did they do?” Tony felt the anger start to surge up in him. No other SHIELD captives were treated that way. And having been in a similar position when he was being held hostage, he could sympathize. 

“Sir, I’m not sure that is wise.”

“Why the hell not? Just tell me Jarvis.”

"He's been beaten multiple times." Jarvis answered. "He was given no chance to fight back he would be gagged and cuffed beforehand."

Tony sat there for a moment, letting the anger soak in. 

“Connect me to Fury.”

“I’m afraid I can’t Sir. You’re not thinking clearly.”

“Jarvis, call the damn bastard!”

“Sir, I would like to remind you that it is partially because of you that he was in that position to being with.”

Tony stopped and sighed, running his hands over his face. Looks like he’d have to apologize to the god before he went off on anyone else. He sat there for a while then stood. 

“Should I talk to him?”

“I would leave him be for the time being Sir.”

Loki had gone back to his room and much to his dismay his stomach hurt from the sudden expansion. Lying down in the bed he rolled this way and that before finally settling and falling asleep.

Tony nodded his head then looked towards Loki’s room. 

 

“How’s he doing?”

“I think he fell ill from his sudden splurge Sir. He’s fallen asleep.”

Tony sat there for a moment then stood and went over to check on the god. He stopped in front of the room then slowly pushed the door open and peeked in. He saw Loki curled up on the bed and felt a pang of guilt. He turned and went into the kitchen; maybe he had something the god could take. 

"Sir there is really nothing you can give him to eat at this point his body will simply have to finish waking up and do its job." He said. Loki turned over in his sleep from time to time.

Tony paused for a moment. What was he doing? This was the same man that tried to take over earth, the same man that launched him out a window without a second thought. 

Loki was a murderer, who couldn’t care less about humans. What was Tony doing? He sighed and stood in the kitchen. Despite all that though, did he deserve to be tortured? 

Locked away certainly and having his powers removed was a given. But torture?

Loki didn't wake up until the following morning. By this point the food had managed to digest and he was hungry for food once more. Venturing out he headed for the kitchen making the decision not to eat in the kitchen if Stark found him.

Tony was in his lab. He’d spent most of the night there, unable to get to sleep. He chugged his coffee then sat for a moment before going upstairs to get more. 

“Jarvis, is there anymore coffee?”

“Yes Sir, a fresh pot. Might I suggest drinking it without the whiskey?”

“Suggest all you want.” Tony walked towards the kitchen then noticed Loki. “Oh, hey.” He couldn’t look the god in the eye after finding out everything he knew.

Loki growled at him. He picked grabbed a glass of water and his plate before heading back off to his room.

"It would be wise to give him space for a while longer, Sir."

Tony frowned a bit as he watched the god walk off. 

“Yeah, good morning.” He said to himself then went into the kitchen and served himself more coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

“Any other fixes I need to make Jarvis?”

“It’s just a matter of letting the fresh insulation set Sir. Also, I have implemented the energy fixes. You should be able to go an extra four hours.”

“Good, good.”

Loki sat down on the bed so he could eat his breakfast in peace but suddenly found the urge and hunger gone from him. Lying out on the bed he stayed there in his thoughts which only kept turning in the same maddening circle.

Tony sat in his lab, making extra fixes to his suit. He was still trying to work out the kinks after he’d been in that wormhole. He stared into space for a moment then shook his head. No, he wouldn’t go there. 

“Hey Jarvis, test the insulation and see if it’s ready.”

“Right away Sir.”

"Sir perhaps you should find something to keep Loki occupied." Jarvis said. Loki was pacing and rocking in his seat.

“Yeah but what? Get him a little glowing staff?”

“Perhaps some books, Sir?”

Tony paused and nodded. 

“All right. What are those books Thor took to him?”

“I’ll pull up a list and order them now.” 

“All right.”

Jarvis came back a few moments later.

"It would appear that the books came from Asgard and are still in Shield custody." Jarvis replied. "I shall order other books for him in the meantime."

“Yeah, that would work. I don’t think Fury would ever let me have those books.” Tony sighed and swirled his coffee then took a large gulp of it. He waited for the books to arrive then went and signed for them. 

“Think he’ll like em?”

“I honestly can’t say Sir.” 

Tony rolled his eyes and headed to Loki’s room. 

“Thanks.” He paused and knocked on the door. 

Loki composed himself and straightened up before going back to the door. Opening the door he looked back at Stark.

"Yes?" He asked.

“I brought you some books. I thought you might want something to do other than walk around in your room until there’s a hole in the floor.” Tony stepped in and set the heavy box down. He groaned. For a bunch of books, it certainly was a heavy box. He stood straight and felt this urge to say something to the god. But no words came to his mouth. 

“Well, hope you like em.” He smiled tightlipped and headed to the door.

"Thank you." He said. Loki couldn't believe the man would give him books but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Umm, if you finish those I can get you more.” Tony looked at Loki from the door way. “I’ll be in my lab if you need anything.” Tony walked towards his lab, his heart racing. Well, that wasn’t awkward. 

“Very well handled Sir.”

“Oh don’t be a smart ass.” Tony grumbled and grabbed one of his green drinks from the fridge. Though his new reactor was much better at not releasing toxins into his system, he still had some left over from his previous reactor. 

Loki sat down to read and even started eating the food he'd picked up previously. The books he read made him more curious about the rest of Midgard. He'd spent years looking out of the realm and visiting from time to time, even laying with a maiden or two. 

"Ceiling." Loki called looking at Jarvis.

 

“I am called Jarvis, Mr. Laufeyson. How may I help you?”

Tony listened to loud music in his lab, bobbing his head as he worked on his suit. He tried it on and tested it then took it apart again and set it in a simulator machine to test its shock-absorption. 

Loki asked Jarvis a number of questions about the current year of Midgard. 

"Sir Director Fury is calling you, shall I patch him through?" 

Tony sighed heavily and nodded. 

“Yeah, go ahead.” 

“Well, well, you’re still alive. How’s Loki?”

“We haven’t killed each other yet, but give us a week.” 

“I am called an AI, or artificial intelligence. While other such technologies exist around the world, Mr. Stark is the only one that has me. I am much more advanced than any other program in existence.” Jarvis was rather enjoying the questions he was getting from Loki.

Loki nodded as he listened to Jarvis. 

"Tell me do people still practice the costume of giving a kitten to a new bride?" He asked.

"Don’t go easy on him Stark. If you give him too much leash he'll take it too far."

“I’m afraid not, Mr. Laufeyson. Now it is more customary to simply give the bride a ring and try not to anger her.”

Tony remembered what Jarvis had told him earlier and felt his anger bubbling again. 

“I know what I’m doing.”

“I hope you do. He’s dangerous.”

“So dangerous you had to starve him?” The words left his lips before Tony realized he was speaking. 

"I did what was necessary." Fury replied. "You should be doing the same thing if you want to keep him in line." He said. 

Loki sighed. 

"My mother will be so disappointed." He said. 

“He’s powerless, Fury. I’m not going to starve or beat the guy.”

“He attacked us, Stark! Or did you forge the part where he tried to take over the world and kill you?”

Tony looked away, pursing his lips together. 

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then take this seriously.”

“Why is that Mr. Laufeyson?”

"Back many centuries ago in the land that Midgard says was the main source of the legends responsible for those of myself and the nine it was a well-practiced custom. My mother has a chariot pulled by cats. The cats were made for the wilds and snow. Men would give them to their new brides as a gift as a symbol of love."

“That is quite interesting, though chariots are scarcely used now a days. Cats are simply viewed as household pets and as bringers of death in some cultures.”

Tony frowned and looked away from the director and nodded. 

“I need to know I can trust you Stark.”

“Yeah, you can.”

“Good. I’ll be checking in every so often.”

“They roam the palace with free reign. The Allfather has learned to live with it after so long. In Asgard it is still practiced though." He said. "What cultures think them death bringers?" 

“The Egyptians did once, Mr. Lauefyson. Cats were often buried with the dead to guide them to the afterlife. They are still often associated with death in this sense.”

Tony nodded and the call was ended. He sat in his lab for a while, thinking. Was he getting sucked into Loki’s lies? He was, after all, the god of lying and mischief. What if this was all just a ploy? No, there were some things that couldn’t be faked, no matter who it was. And Tony had seen the deadpan look in Loki’s eyes. 

“Jarvis, how’s he doing?”

“Much better Sir. He seems to have enjoyed the books you sent and is discussing history with me now.”

"Sir, there is video footage of what was done though it is encrypted very well." He said.

Tony looked up a bit then at his computers. 

“Pull it up. Go ahead and break through it, but try not to let them trace you.”

“Of course Sir.”

“Mr. Laufeyson, if I may ask, why do you insist on remaining in this room? It has been three days since your arrival to Stark tower.”

Loki looked up at Jarvis.

"What reasons do I have to leave other than to feed myself?" He asked. He didn't want to be underfoot; in fact he more or less didn't want to be seen at all.

“I simply asked because it seems it would be better if you perhaps got to know Mr. Stark? He seems quite interested in you?”

Tony watched the videos once Jarvis finished downloading them. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He stopped watching after a while and looked away. 

“I need a drink.”

“Might I suggest rum, Sir?”

"I doubt he'd want anything to do with me." He said. "I'm fine where I am." Loki replied. "Now shall we have that game of chess again?" He asked. 

“Of course Mr. Laufeyson.” Jarvis pulled up a virtual screen with the pieces set. “I believe you are the black, this time.”

Tony poured himself a drink, thinking of what he should say to Loki if he should say anything. Would it be rude of him to bring up the torture he endured? Or would it be worse if he didn’t apologize? 

He made the first move and the game began. He was still learning the ins and outs of the game but was quickly getting the hang of it.

“Might I suggest moving your pawn two spaces forward, Mr. Laufeyson? Otherwise you will lose your rook.”

Tony served himself another drink. 

“Should I talk to him?”

“I would suggest giving him some time Sir, and perhaps showing him rather than telling him that you are more forgiving.”


	3. Chapter 3

Loki nodded at him and moved his pawn. Loki still lost the game but at least he came closer to winning this time.

"I'm going to get something for lunch Jarvis." He said.

“Very well Mr. Laufeyson. I should warn you though; Mr. Stark does not eat regularly and therefore does not make a habit of buying food very often. In the future, I would recommend you remind Mr. Stark that you do need to eat.”

Tony was getting a little tipsy when he got up and went into the kitchen. He grabbed some things out of the fridge and threw together a sandwich.

Loki nodded.

"Thank you." He said. Getting up Loki headed off for the kitchen to get something to eat and then he would finish the book he'd started.

Tony was humming to himself as he finished making his sandwich. There was a mess on the counter but he didn’t mind it yet. He took a large bite and hummed in response to it. 

“Mmh.” He looked over at Loki and nodded. “Hey.” He spoke with his mouth full. 

Loki nodded to him as he set about getting something else to eat.

"Just a reminder I do eat more than once a day.” He stated.

Tony blinked, not believing Loki had spoken to him first. 

“I figured.”

“Sir, I brought it up since you’re not the best at buying groceries on a regular basis.”

“Oh. Yeah, I’ll remember. Or at least Jarvis will remember for me and then I’ll buy food.” Tony smiled and swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. “What do you like to eat? I mean, what do you usually eat?”

"Whatever is here." He answered. Loki wasn't picky in the least after having a meal and then not having one he was just glad to be eating at all.

Tony nodded and looked at the god then away for a moment. 

“Listen, I don’t know if this too soon, but I’m not going to treat you the way Fury did.” Tony looked at Loki. “So you don’t have to walk around like you’re on a chain here.” He knew this was a big mistake, he could feel it. At any minute, the god could take off. But without powers, where would he go? What would he do? Tony had to trust that Loki realized his predicament. 

He didn't say anything or move.

"You didn't seem to mind it when you stood outside of my cell calling me Princess."

Tony lowered his head ashamed and nodded. 

“There’s no way to apologize for that.” He looked at Loki. “But I am sorry. I know what it’s like to be scared and hungry and beaten. I’m the last person that should have let you go through all of that.”

"Don't try to make it seem like it's any better then what it way. You have no idea what a real beating is." Loki replied. Loki had been beaten and harmed before. He'd seen battle and more pain than he cared to remember. "Never compare your pain to mine." 

Tony looked into the god’s eyes and felt like shrinking away for a moment. Then he did what Tony Stark always does: act stupid and size up when he shouldn’t. He stood tall-or as tall as he could against the god-and spoke firmly. 

“Well then things are gonna change. You don’t deserve what they did to you at SHIELD. So I won’t hurt you and I won’t let anyone else do it either.” Tony could feel himself shaking inside, but he stayed firm in his words. 

Loki scoffed.

"Thor said that once and look where we are now." He said. Loki made himself something before heading back to his room.

Tony sighed heavily and ran his hands over his face before heading back into his lab. 

“Sir, I did warn you…”

“Shut up Jarvis!” Tony grumbled and stayed in his lab the rest of the day. He worked on his suit then started plans on another one, only going upstairs for more coffee. 

“Why don’t I have a coffee machine downstairs?”

“Because you said it is more beneficial if you have a reason to come back upstairs, Sir.”

“I get the feeling you said that.” 

“I may have suggested it.”

Tony rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen. What time was it? He looked at the kitchen clock; 12: 47. Wow, pretty late. But he wasn’t tired. He served himself more coffee and took a big gulp of it. 

“How’s Loki?”

“Well Sir. I have been teaching him how to play chess.”

"Sir I would suggest you get some sleep you've been at it for three days now and Ms. Potts won't be happy if she finds that you've eaten nothing and drunken two bottles of whiskey."

“Oh come on, you know she yells at me all the time anyway. Tony, pick up your socks. Tony, quit drinking. Tony, eat more. Tony, quit sneaking pictures of me in the office.” Tony searched the fridge and grabbed one of the sticks of beef jerky. 

“There, food.”

“Sir.”

“I’m fine. I’ve been up longer.” Tony took a bite of the jerky then headed back to his lab, coffee in hand. 

“Mr. Laufeyson, move your queen to the right three spaces or you’ll lose the piece.” Jarvis was still getting Loki into the habit of chess. “You must try and predict all possible moves on the side of your opponent, remember.”

"You're a computer you can predict all outcomes of the game before it's even started." Loki replied.

"That's very true, Sir, but I prefer not to cheat." 

Tony cut out some pieces of metal and set them out. 

“Jarvis, I’m thinking of making a stealth suit.”

“And how do you plan on that Sir?”

“Reflective technology.” Tony grinned and got to work with the equations and set out a few machines. “He still mad at me?”

“I believe so Sir.”

“Mr. Laufeyson, chess is not about knowing exactly what move your opponent will make, but judging what it is they can do. For example, your rook is in position to take out my knight. You have two pawns you could move, an available queen and a tower left. Since you know they can only move in a certain direction, it is possible to predict which way you would move those pieces if you so choose to.”

Loki nodded looking which piece he would move first for the right outcome. He moved his tower in the right direction for him to possibly win this game.

"Sir, it very well might be wise to just leave him. Know that he is there and remind him that you know he is there but don't ignore him."  
Tony sighed heavily and nodded. 

“Guess you’re right. I should have listened earlier.” Tony went back to his work quietly. “Jarvis, run these numbers for me and apply to theoretical situations.”

“Mr. Laufeyson, might I recommend moving your rook without taking the knight? It would put you in position for possible checkmate.”  
Loki did as he was instructed. After the next move he had Jarvis in a checkmate.

"Sir I have the videos from Loki's imprisonment. Are you sure you want to see?"

Tony sat in thought for a moment then sighed heavily. 

“Not right now. I don’t know if I can see it without getting pissed.”

“I do not blame you Sir. It is quite terrible to witness.”

“Mr. Laufeyson, you are learning quite well for someone so knew at this game. I cannot get Mr. Stark to even remember the names of the pieces.” Jarvis remarked as he was beat then reset the board. 

Watching the video made Loki look like a mental patient. He was sitting on his cot, if you could call it that, and rocking to one side. Guards would come in and poke fun at him from behind the glass. 

There was a period of time where Loki went for a week without food and then made to stand on his feet for twenty four hours. 

Watching the footage of Loki’s treatment only soured Tony’s mood more. But he knew he wasn’t exactly the god’s favorite. 

“I want to do something Jarvis.”

“You must give him time Sir, or he will shut down.”

“How come he likes you so much?”

“He rather enjoys playing chess with someone that will not judge him, I believe.” 

Tony scoffed and shook his head then finished working on his suit for the day. He grabbed a rag and wiped the grease off his hands before going upstairs for a drink. 

“Are you going to sleep now Sir?”

“Yeah, for a little bit.” Tony reached into the fridge and pulled out another green drink, taking a large swig of it. 

Loki finished one last game with Jarvis before going to bathe and head to bed himself. 

"Mr. Laufeyson I do not wish to alarm you, but your body temperature is much lower than that of anyone else even compared to Thor." Jarvis said.

"Do not worry about it Jarvis I am fine." 

“I have been informed by Thor that you are something called a Jotun. My knowledge of frost giants is rather limited. I do not wish to offend, but is that causing your low body temperature?”

Tony served himself two shots of tequila before heading into his bedroom. Best be a little buzzed before bed, or else he’d have nightmares the entire night. He pulled off his clothes and walked into the bathroom. 

“Jarvis, music please.”

“Of course Sir.”

"Yes it is." Loki answered, turning over he pulled the covers up over him. "Turn up the heat please and thank you." 

"Yes, Sir. Sleep well." 

Tony finished his shower soon enough and stepped out, drying off and getting dressed. He walked over to his bed and flopped over on it, sighing. His eyes felt heavy suddenly and he fell asleep pretty quickly. 

Pepper came up to the penthouse level early the next morning and got breakfast started for Tony. She hadn't heard about the new guest of Stark tower. 

“Morning Jarvis.”

“Good morning Ms. Potts.”

“Is Tony awake?”

“No, he is still in bed.”

“How long has it been since he last ate?”

“He has been snacking for the past few days but has not had a decent meal in three days.”

Pepper sighed and went into the kitchen, gasping when she saw Loki.


	4. Chapter 4

“Oh my God, Tony!”

Tony woke up when he heard Pepper’s voice. She didn’t sound mad though. He looked around then remembered Loki and jumped out of his bed. 

Loki gave her an odd look and continued on his way about making something to eat.

"What are you doing here you freak?" Pepper asked.

"Ms. Potts I would advise not to do that." Jarvis said.

“Pepper!” Tony ran over and got between the two. “I see you have met.”

“Tony, what the hell is going on?” 

Tony smiled and pulled her to the side. “Pepper, he’s staying with me. He doesn’t have powers and it’s part of his probation. Please, just be polite. You don’t have to like him but please, please, please: be nice.”

“Nice to the man that almost killed you and tried to take over the earth?”

“Pep, you don’t know what he’s been through.”

“I don’t care! I almost lost you in a wormhole!”

Loki rolled his eyes. For once he was going to sit in the kitchen and eat. "Jarvis let me know when the screaming fox leaves." He said.

"Yes, Mr. Laufeyson." Jarvis replied.

"Screaming fox!" She shouted.

Tony groaned and pulled Pepper to the staircase. 

“Pepper, please.”

“I am not going to stand for this!”

“Yeah well we don’t really have a choice Pepper!” Tony looked at the redhead more sternly. “It’s this or he stays at SHIELD and they keep starving him and I’m not going to let that happen!”

Pepper looked at Tony and sighed heavily then looked away. 

“Tony…”

“I know what I’m doing Pep. Just trust me.”

"Trust you with him?" She asked. "Tony he's a murderer and liar." Pepper replied. "He'll take advantage of you if he gets the chance." She said.

"Remember what happened to Clint?"

“Yeah, I remember.” He spoke upset. “Look, this isn’t a good time. He’s here to stay and that’s all there is to it.”

Pepper sighed heavily and shook her head. 

“I’m not coming back while he’s here.”

“Then I’ll just see you at the office.”

Getting back to his room Loki broke out in a fit of rage and threw the plate as well as a few other things. Sinking to the floor he sat back against the floor. 

"Mr. Lau-"

"Shut up." He cut him off.

Tony jumped as he heard something shatter and he went over to find Loki. 

“What the hell was that? These are my plates!” He picked up the broken pieces of glass, cutting his finger. “Ow, fuck!” He quickly dumped the broken plate away and glared at the god. “If you want your own plates that you can break when you throw fits like this, I’ll buy you some but don’t break my stuff!”

Loki sneered at him. "Get out!" He shouted. Getting up he stalked over to him. "Go ahead call me freak, and liar I've heard it all before. Call me useless or worthless I don't give a damn!"

Tony stood tall and looked in the god’s eyes. 

“I’m not going to call you anything so don’t put words in my mouth! I just don’t want you breaking things whenever you get upset! And I talked to Pepper; she won’t be coming here anymore. Happy now?” Tony didn’t like shouting like this at Loki, considering he was trying to patch things up with him. But if he wasn’t allowed to randomly break things then neither was Loki. 

“I told you already, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Loki was still fuming.

"Sir it would be wise if you simply left." Jarvis informed. 

Loki wished he had his magic once more, to escape, roam, and travel where ever he could so he could leave.

“No, I’m not leaving.” Tony stepped close to the god. “You wanna be mad, fine. Be mad. You know what? Smash a few more things why don’t you? But don’t act like I’m going to treat you the same way they did at SHIELD. You don’t know anything about me so don’t pretend you do! You know, I could have told Fury to just keep you there in custody. I could have told Thor to just take you back to Asgard but I didn’t because I was the only one that thought you deserved a chance!”

“Sir.” Jarvis really didn’t want to see Tony die today, but it seemed that would be the case.

"Oh such a bleeding heart you have." Loki glared at him. "I don't care if I rot here or there. Sending me to my death would be doing me a favor." He said.

"Mr. Stark please leave." Jarvis begged seeing Loki inching closer, slowly.

“Don’t be so fucking melodramatic! You have a chance to make a better life and the only one ruining it is you!” Tony glared at the god then sighed and looked away. 

“Mr. Stark!”

“What Jarvis?!”

"You don't know a damn thing about my life!" There was a temperature drop in the room.

"Sir, please leave and give Mr. Laufeyson the space needed before this turns sour."

Tony began to shudder a bit as it started to get cold. But why was it getting cold? He looked at Loki, frowning. 

“Oh sorry, I forgot to buy your biography! Of course I don’t know anything about your life! If you weren’t a damn hermit crab, maybe I’d know something about you!”

“Sir, the temperature is steadily dropping and has reached 60.”

"I am runt of litter, Thor was a glory hound and arrogant while I bleed and took the pain for his actions!"

The edges of Loki's eyes were slowly reddening. "Sir, for once stop being stubborn and leave." Jarvis ordered.

“So you take it out on me? I’m trying to be decent! Out of everyone, I’m the one on your side!” Tony shook all over, ignoring Jarvis and the cold even when he could see his breath. “I’m not here to make you feel worthless for what you did because guess what? I’m a big boy and I can get over it when someone pushes me in the sandbox!” He paused suddenly and gripped at his reactor. It wasn’t used to such cold when it was exposed. “What the hell?”

“Sir, leave the room now. Frost is building up on the reactor.”

"Sir, SHIELD Agents are on their way it would appear that Director Fury has tapped the tower so he could keep track of Loki and if he at all got too far out of control." Jarvis informed.

“What?” Tony walked out of the room then glanced back at Loki. “Make that shit go away and stay in the room.” Tony looked at the god then went to greet the agents, sporting a grin. 

“Agents!”

“What happened?”

“What happened where?”

“We have surveillance on the tower Mr. Stark. What happened?”

“Nothing. We were, umm, having a friendly argument.” Tony stood between the agents the hall where Loki’s room was. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Sir, you have to let us through.”

“No, I don’t.” Tony’s eyes narrowed at the agents. His chest hurt terribly from the frost, but he had to ignore it, at least while the agents were there. “Loki isn’t a prisoner anymore, he’s on probation. And I’m handling it so leave.”

"Director Fury said that if he steps out of line to bring him back. He must not be shown any mercy." The man told him.

"Mr. Stark we don't want to hurt you or force you please let us take him."

“No. Either you leave or I’ll have Jarvis throw you out. Jarvis!” Two suits burst up out of the floor and appeared at Tony’s side. “Get out. He hadn’t done anything wrong.”

The agents looked at the suits nervously. Tony they could take easily; the suits were a different matter. No amount of bullets or skill would take them out. 

“Mr. Stark…”

“He didn’t do anything. He just broke a few plates now get out!”

"Very well, Mr. Stark." They slowly backed up from him and filed out quickly.

In his room Loki was calming down under Jarvis' instruction.

“They’re gone now Mr. Laufeyson, and by the looks of it will not be returning too soon. Please, keep your breathing steady or you will pass out.”

Tony waited until the agents had left then clutched is chest and gasped. 

“Okay, that hurts. Jarvis!”

“I have disabled the feed from SHIELD Sir, though they are quickly trying to reconnect.”

“Send em a fake tap.”

“Of course Sir. It seems the frost is no longer crusted on your reactor, though you will probably still feel it. I would suggest sitting down.”  
Tony quickly sat at the island and tried to steady his breathing. Well, now he knew not to stand too close to Loki when he was mad. 

 

“How’s he doing?”

“Upset Sir, but I am calming him.”

Loki sighed as he lay out on the floor. He was humming a small tune to himself once Frigga used to sing to him as a boy. A smile graced his face for a few moments until he opened his eyes and saw nothing. It all came crashing back to him that he was a prisoner.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony sighed as he sat at the island still. He looked at the drink he’d served himself then glanced over at Loki’s room. 

“I keep messing stuff up with him.”

“I’m not sure what you mean Sir.”

Tony thought for a moment then shrugged. 

“I don’t know either.”

"Sir have you come to think that maybe now that he is here he does not have to focus on what torture director Fury was putting on him. Let him mourn and let him be when he comes around is on his own time."

Tony huffed but nodded. He didn’t like the idea of just letting the god sulk but it didn’t look like he had much of a choice. He finished his drink then grabbed a beer and headed down to the lab; might as well finish fixing his newest suit. 

 

“Jarvis, is it done setting?”

“Yes Sir. Now you just need to give it a test run and paint it.”

Tony nodded and opened up his computers. 

Once Loki had calmed down enough he asked Jarvis to darken the room so he could sleep for a while. In his bout of sulking Loki slept for an upwards of ten hours the first time. He woke up with an urge from Jarvis to have something to drink before he went back to sleep until mid-morning the following day.

Tony darted up into the kitchen for a quick cup of coffee. He really needed to remember to put the coffee machine downstairs. Actually, why didn’t he just build one? 

“Jarvis, keep the tests running!”

“Yes Sir. Might I suggest sleeping Sir? A nap, perhaps.”

“Not right now. Busy.” Tony had an excited grin on his face. He quickly prepared the cup then took a large gulp of it before preparing a second cup. Might as well prepare. 

“How is it Jarvis?”

“Running quite well Sir. It seems your newest space suit is quite a marvel.”

Loki was up once again and trudged his way over to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Seeing Stark he ignored him as he got his glass of water and started to head back to the bedroom.

“Sir, would you please get some sleep?”

“I will, I will!” Tony took another sip of his coffee and started heading back towards his lab. He had so many ideas racing through his mind, not to mention caffeine in his system. He quickly went back downstairs and set the two cups of coffee down to work. He put his safety goggles back on and got to work. 

Standing in the kitchen Loki looked out to the balcony. "Jarvis, am I allowed to go outside?" He asked.

“I’m afraid the furthest you are allowed to go without Mr. Stark or SHIELD agents present is the balcony Mr. Laufeyson. I do apologize.”

Tony jumped from side of his lab to the other, buzzing with excitement as he came close to finishing his suit. 

“All right, fire it up and let me see it!”

The suit buzzed to life and began to move; a simple test to make sure that it could handle the power strain properly. 

“Everything seems to be functioning well Sir. I do believe it’s ready for a short slight test.”

“All right!” Tony got up and the suit began to assemble on him. 

"Good enough for me." He replied walking out to the balcony. Getting there Loki looked up at the sky and glared. He knew Heimdall could see him and was most likely laughing in his face.

There was a dull boom from downstairs and Tony emerged moments later, covered in soot and oil and waving smoke out of his face. 

“Okay, so now we know.” He coughed a bit and headed into the kitchen. “Jarvis readjust the pressure-simulator and have Dum-E and Butterfingers clean up.”

“Of course Sir, and may I just point out that I did warn you before it exploded.”

“Yes Mother, you did.” Tony grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge.

Going back inside Loki stopped when he saw the cloud of smoke and Stark covered in soot and dark spots. The former god headed back to his bedroom.

Tony guzzled down some water then sighed. 

“Sir, the lab will take some time to clean. Shall I bring the missing suit pieces upstairs.”

“Yeah, go ahead. I still need to fly it outside.”

"Very well, Sir." Jarvis got to work on that and was surprised as his creator ignored the dark haired god that walked by.

Tony looked over the notes on his tablet, engrossed in his newest project. He blindly reached for a green drink and popped the cap off. 

“Adjust the thrusters for cruise control and have a manual release switch for the pressure.”

“Yes Sir. Might I also suggest greeting your guest?”

“My what?” Tony blinked then remembered Loki. He glanced over at the god and waved his hand. “Morning.” He went back to his notes, pursing his lips as he thought. “Actually you know what? Go ahead and keep the automatic adjusters for the pressure and see if we can’t stabilize the coolant.”

Loki scoffed a bit before continuing on to his room. "Shall we play a game of chess?" Loki asked.

“Certainly Mr. Laufeyson. Also, explosions are a common occurrence in the tower.” He opened up a chess board complete with the pieces.   
Tony made adjustments to his new suit from the hologram before he stood out on the balcony. He waited a moment then hovered in the suit before taking off. 

“Activate stealth mode.”

“Activating now Sir. Shall I have the other suits try to track you?”

Tony grinned at the thought. “Fire em up!”

"How has he not blown himself up yet." He asked.

"To be honest Mr. Laufeyson I truly do not know."

Jarvis moved his first piece. 

“You’ll have to excuse him also. When Mr. Stark gets into a major project, little else can get his attention.”

Tony laughed as he flew around, his other suits trying to track him. 

“Come on Jarvis, find me!”

“It seems no regular methods of doing so work. The stealth suit is a success.”

“Great!”

Thinking about his move Loki made it. "He built everything with your help?" He asked.

"Yes, after many months away Mr. Stark returned home and started building his second suit. The first one was done by him and another prisoner to aid his escape." Jarvis explained.

"Is that how he got that contraption in his chest?"

“I’m afraid so. It was a very difficult time for Mr. Stark. I was worried he would not return home, but I am glad that he has changed so much from who he was. Though the drinking is still a problem.” Jarvis made his move and waited for Loki. 

Tony landed back at the tower and the rest of his suits flew back into the garage. 

“I think this is my new favorite.”

 

“I guessed as much Sir. What colors shall I paint it?”

“Let’s go dark blue and silver.” Tony said as he walked into the tower and the suit was disassembled.

“How’s Loki?”

“Doing better today Sir.”

"Why does he need the thing in his chest?" Loki asked, after making his move.

"There is metal in Mr. Stark's chest that without the arc reactor would make its way to his heart and kill him." Jarvis replied.

“It is the only thing keeping him alive at this point.” Jarvis made another move then waited for Loki. 

Tony headed towards his room, taking off his shirt. Best to wash off all the soot and grease before he went back down to his lab. 

“How much force can the suit handle right now?”

“Several blows from Mjolnir before it breaks, Sir.”

“Good!” Tony stripped down and turned on the shower.

"Sir, Mr. Laufeyson will be in need new books in another few days." Jarvis informed. If Loki kept at the pace he was going he could be done soon enough seeing as the god read rather fast.

“Already?” Tony shook his head and headed towards his lab. “Order him some more books then. What does he read?”

“So far he seems quite entertained with classic literature and fiction.”

“Mr. Laufeyson, if I may ask, would you be happier with different clothes? I’ve noticed you’ve been wearing the same outfit since you arrived at Stark tower.” Jarvis made another move. Loki had been wearing the same prisoner outfit SHIELD had sent him away with for the past week now. 

"I don't have anything else. They've taken my armor and given me nothing else." The day before Loki wandered about the room naked after hand washing the uniform and hanging it over the shower curtain to dry.

“Why not ask Mr. Stark to buy you some new clothes? I am certain he would not mind. Checkmate.” Jarvis made another move.

Tony hummed to himself as he touched up his suit and grinned. It was beautiful. He looked over then put it back with the other suits he had.   
“Jarvis, I think I’m hungry.”

“You should be Sir; it’s been two days since you ate.”

“Oh.” Tony shrugged and went upstairs to get something to eat. His stomach growled loudly. “Oh shut up, I’m getting food.”

"I'd rather not and stick to the books.” Loki replied. Clothing would require him to leave the tower which he was in no mood for doing. He looked at the board and frowned. "It seems you have won.”

“Are you sure?” Jarvis reset the board for another game and let Loki make the first move.


	6. Chapter 6

"I'd rather not and stick to the books.” Loki replied. Clothing would require him to leave the tower which he was in no mood for doing. He looked at the board and frowned. "It seems you have won.”

“Are you sure?” Jarvis reset the board for another game and let Loki make the first move. 

Tony fixed himself a sandwich then noticed how tired he was. How long had it been since he’d slept, three days? He yawned then took a big bite of his sandwich, not really noticing that there wasn’t much food in the fridge. He didn’t eat that often anyways. 

"Sir, I would like to remind you that Loki still needs to eat." Jarvis told him. "That and he is in need of new clothing. All he has is the garment that they gave him at Shield."

Tony stopped. He’d almost forgotten about that. 

“Right, okay.” He was about to walk over to the room then paused. He couldn’t take Loki out with SHIELD flooding the tower and wondering what was going on. And the last thing he wanted was to have to try and shoo them away again. 

“Jarvis, bring up my usual online stores, would you?”

“Of course Sir.”

Tony walked over to Loki’s room and poked his head in. 

“Hey, you want some new clothes?”

Loki glared art Jarvis. "I told you not to say anything." He said.

"I am sorry Mr. Laufeyson but it is not wise to wear the same clothing day in and day out."

"Yes I need new clothes." Loki admitted.

Tony grinned and nodded. “All right, come with me.” He stepped out into the living room. “I do this when I’m too lazy to actually go out. Here, step here.” Tony pointed to a circle of light in the middle of the living room. 

Standing where he was Loki looked back at the other.

"This, Mr. Laufeyson, is to measure you so that your clothes fit." Jarvis explained. Jarvis knew he would have to get clothes a bit larger because Loki would fill them out as he ate more.

Tony smiled, his arms crossed. He was pretty impressed with himself sometimes. 

“It’s also a simulator so you can try on the clothes without actually changing.” Tony pulled out his tablet and pulled up a button down shirt. It appeared on the god suddenly as a hologram image. 

“Pretty neat huh?” He stood closer to Loki. “Now we just scroll through here and you tell me what you like.” He handed the tablet to Loki.

Loki frowned. "Why not simply get me a few items or ask Thor to bring me some from Asgard?" He asked.

“Because if I do either of those things, Fury will send SHIELD over and I’d rather not deal with him right now.” Tony looked at the god then away and sighed a bit. “I thought you might like this better so you could actually pick something you like.” He shrugged and took the tablet back. 

"I'm not picky. I simply hate bothering with clothing. Every few months I had to stand still for the tailor to measure me because I would not wear Thor's hand me downs." He sighed. 

"Do not worry, Sirs. I have taken care of it." Jarvis informed them.

Tony looked at the god then flicked through a few more items. He couldn’t but marvel at how well button down shirts fit the god. 

“Yeah well then let me spoil you a little.” He grinned a bit when he found a perfect outfit for Loki and he made it appear on the god. “Now that looks good.”

“Quite a splendid ensemble, if I may say so.” Jarvis said, fitting the clothes and keeping tabs of all the things Tony picked. 

“You want shoes too?” Tony looked at the god and pulled up some shoes for him to look at. 

Loki shook his head. Loki actually hated shoes and it wasn't like he'd be going anywhere so what would be the point in them?

"Then we'll out in for an order of slippers." Jarvis stated. Jarvis also out in an order for pajamas and then concluded the order.

“Oh, and Jarvis get us some groceries too.” 

“I already ordered groceries Sir.”

“Good, thanks.” Tony yawned and put his tablet away. The holograms died and Tony sat on the couch. 

“How long till everything arrives?”

“A day or two at the most Sir.”

Loki nodded. "Very well." He said.

"Another game of chess, Mr. Laufeyson?"

"Yes Jarvis." Loki replied. "Thank you." Loki said before heading off back for the bedroom so he could play the game with Jarvis.

Tony watched the god and smiled a bit to himself. At least this time he didn’t get shouted at. He yawned again and got comfortable there on the touch, quickly dozing off. 

“I fitted the clothes to be just a bit larger Mr. Laufeyson, as you will be gaining back your weight.” He set up the board and reset it for another game. 

Loki nodded. "Thank you Jarvis." He said.

"You're very welcome." the AI replied. Loki made the first move for their game again and it was started.

Tony began having nightmares as he slept on the couch. He groaned and turned on his side, his forehead beaded with sweat. He twitched a bit, mumbling under his breath. He kept seeing himself flying up into the wormhole. Where was Pepper? He had to call Pepper. She wasn’t answering. He flew higher and higher before going into it. It was cold and he was surrounded by dark nothingness. 

"Mr. Laufeyson please in light that I do not have a physical form please go to Mr. Stark and wake him up from his nightmares." Jarvis said sounding a bit frantic. Loki got up from the bed and headed off to the living room.

Tony was shouting in his sleep, his skin covered in sweat. He shook all over, shaking his head and flailing a bit. “Help. Help somebody…!”

“Please be careful Mr. Laufeyson, he is very violent during nightmares like this.”

"You haven't met me yet Jarvis." Loki said. He approached Tony's flailing form and grabbed his wrist getting a tight grip on it before grabbing the other to straddle him and crease his kicking. "Wake up Stark. Stark! STARK!"

Tony’s eyes opened and he gasped. His entire body was tense and it took him a moment to remember where he was. He looked at Loki terrified for a moment before slowly calming down, his breathing heavy. 

“Sir, you were having a panic attack in your sleep.”

Tony nodded, glancing away from Loki and trying to calm himself down.

“I’m okay. I just…I just need a drink.”

"Alcohol does you no good." Loki replied. "Better to just face it head on." He told him.

Getting up he straightened himself out before heading back to his room.

“Like you did?” He spoke rather bitterly. He didn’t want people to tell him how to handle his issues. He stood, his body still shaking from the nightmare. 

“Jarvis, lights.”

“Yes Sir. I suggest you try to steady your heart; your blood pressure is quite high.”

"No I dealt with mine and that's how I ended up here." He said. Loki had spent centuries of following Thor and his friends and being the tag along little brother, trying to please their father. Suffering pain by their hands and bleeding for Thor on more than one occasion. He'd given up and listened to his mother building his own path and finding his own way but he was still bitter and angry.

“Yeah well I hope you don’t get mad that I don’t take advice from you.” He looked at the god and grabbed some water. He took a large gulp and closed his eyes, trying to slow his heart. He took deep, slow breathes, but the images of his dream kept appearing in his mind. 

“Jarvis, get me a project started.”

“Sir, might I recommend something hot to drink? It may help.”

“Yeah, I guess. Could you get me the coffee started?” 

Jarvis got the pot ready and let him have the first cup of many. "Sir perhaps you and Mr. Laufeyson could help each other." Jarvis said. "You both need to vent and get everything into the air the more you hold it in the worse it will be for you."

“He hates me, Jarvis! I try to do something nice and he acts like I’m some bug that got too close to his food!”

“Sir, please don’t exasperate yourself. You’ve taxed your reactor enough.”

“Yeah, I think I noticed.” Tony snapped and sighed heavily. No, he knew talking would help. But he didn’t want to. What would he say? Who would he talk to? He’d tried psychologists but hated the feeling of being prodded that way. Not to mention it never really helped. He didn’t want people to analyze him or pity him. He looked towards Loki’s room then back at his water. 

“I can’t do it Jarvis.”

"Sir he's talked to me but I do not weigh much on anything seeing as I have no emotions. But he has been just as lonely as you have been your lifetime so far." Jarvis replied.

Tony sat there for a moment then looked at Loki’s room again. Well, they were going to live together. He gulped down the rest of his water and stood. 

“If he kills me I’m blaming you. You sure Fury’s getting the false feed?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Good.” Tony walked over to Loki’s room and opened the door. “Do you want coffee?” Tony looked at the god, his eyes tired. 

"No, thank you." Loki replied making the next move in the game he had going with Jarvis.

 

“I wanna talk to you.” Tony said more sternly this time. “Jarvis, close out the game.”

“Yes Sir.” The board and pieces vanished, leaving Tony and Loki alone. 

“It’s been over a week already. Can you stop acting like a hurt puppy now? I haven’t done anything wrong to you since you got here.”

Loki frowned at this. Turning to Stark he looked at him a dark look in his eyes. "What is it you wish to talk about then?" He asked.


	7. Chapter 7

“You always talk about how you were second best to Thor. I was just wondering how bad it had to be for you to want to attack the earth.” Tony said simply. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door way. “And this time, don’t freeze my reactor over. It hurts like a bitch.”  
"I would tell you what really happened but you wouldn't believe me."  
“Thor already told me his half of the story. I want to hear the rest from you.”   
"After I fell into the abyss I thought it would be the end until I was saved by a blue creature that went by the name Thanos." Loki replied. "He was much more powerful than me when it came to magic of the mind."  
“The Abyss…when the Bifrost thingy blew up?” Tony looked at Loki curiously. Thor had told them most of what had happened between him and Loki, why the god had left Asgard. He didn’t realize anything happened in between then and the attack on earth. “What happened?”  
He wanted me to lead the army but I told him no. So he tortured me, and let the army torture me." He said. "So I yielded. I did what I was told so I could live. I said it multiple times: that Freedom is a dream. I did not want to kill all those people. He was in my head constantly and when your large green pet smashed me into the floor it stopped."  
Tony couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He looked at the god shocked before finally speaking. “You were mind controlled the entire time? Why didn’t you tell anyone? Thor would have listened, I would have listened.”  
"Did you miss the part where I was gagged?" He asked. "How many hints does someone have to drop for them to get it?"  
Tony swallowed thickly and looked away. “I’m sorry.” He looked at Loki. “But everything that happened between you and Thor; all this just because you weren’t king?” Although Thor loved his brother, he’d been blind to just how much Loki had to endure when they were growing up. He didn’t see or understand what it was like for his little brother to grow up in the shadows. So of course, when Thor told his new friends what had happened, he didn’t tell them everything.   
"No, I didn't want to be king." Loki replied I simply wanted to hold off Thor's coronation for a while longer. If you'd met Thor before his exile to earth he was not the same man he is now. He was arrogant and adventurous and didn't think things out." Loki explained. "I studied and for years I was always second best. The tutors praised me in our studies and Thor he was hopeless. Odin only ever saw him; he was vain and cruel. Then I found out I was a Jotun and I knew why I never saw the thrown in the first place: because Odin couldn’t have the son of his greatest enemy sitting on the throne of Asgard."  
Tony nodded his head and averted his gaze for a moment. “I kinda know what that’s like. Being ignored by your dad and treated like you’re nothing. That’s how my dad was.” Tony shrugged a bit as he spoke. “I didn’t know about the torture.” He looked at Loki. “Fury told us you were being held here for crimes against the earth. I thought that meant that same for everybody else SHIELD holds: you sit in a cell until you die. I didn’t think he’d allow something like this though.”  
"No Thanos tortured me as well as the Chitauri that's why I went through with the invasion. Thanos used my anger against Thor to aid his plan." Loki sighed. "Then what your Cyclopes did was simply payback for what I caused."  
“I was all for keeping you locked up. I was in favor of having your powers removed and making sure you never saw the light of day again. But I never would have agreed to you being tortured.” It disgusted Tony that SHIELD was all right with this. It didn’t matter what Loki had done or that he wasn’t human. Tony scoffed and shook his head.   
"Someone who believes the liar." Loki hummed. Thor had told him he wanted to hear none of the god's lies. "It'll be centuries before I'm able to see my mother again."  
“You had a good relationship with her?” Tony was really becoming curious now. It was kind of like seeing something inside Loki that, apparently, no one else got to see. His feet were starting to get tired of standing in place however. “You know what? Can we sit?”  
Loki gestured to the chair in the corner of the room. "My mother taught me everything. Magic, fighting from hand to hand to sword play."  
Tony sat down and smiled a bit. “She sounds pretty nice. My mom was kinda like that, except without the magic and sword play. She taught me how to read and write, and she’d help me with homework when she could.” Tony smiled a bit at the memory of her.   
Loki sighed. "I failed her." He said.  
Tony looked at the god then shrugged. “I don’t think you did. You made a mistake and I’m sure she understands that. Mothers…mothers have a way of knowing the truth about you.” Tony could remember all those times his mother had gotten in the way when Howard started shouting at Tony. How she could always tell when he was upset, even when no one else knew.   
"She was the only one that ever saw through my lies." He said. "I was her son."  
“You are.” Tony corrected. “At least you have that, right?”   
He shrugged. "I don't want to talk anymore."  
“All right, but that means you have to listen to me talk.” Tony looked at the god then at the wall. “I was dreaming of that wormhole you opened up. I flew into it and set a bomb loose in there. That’s how we beat the Chitauri.” Tony paused for a moment, the images of the wormhole flashing in his mind. “While I was in there, my suit lost power and…”  
Loki watched him for a moment. "You what?"  
Tony blinked and kept talking. “I fell back to earth before it closed up. I have nightmares about it all the time, getting stuck in this big, black abyss with no way out.” He looked at the god. “That’s what I was dreaming about when you woke me up. That I was getting sucked into it and I couldn’t do anything. Better than having dreams about my reactor though. Those are scarier.”  
Loki wasn't going to tell him about his own nightmares. Loki's nightmares made him seem crazier than what people thought he was.  
Tony was starting to get that weird feeling in his stomach again. That feeling he got when he talked to anyone besides Pepper or Jarvis. He wanted to run. Run and shut Loki out. He glanced at the god and cleared his throat then stood.   
“You’re probably tired. I’ll just let you sleep.” He smiled a bit and headed for the door.   
"I'm sorry." He said simply.   
Tony stopped and looked at Loki. “Sorry for what? You didn’t do anything.”   
Loki shrugged. "I just felt I should." He replied.  
“You don’t owe me anything. You don’t know owe anyone anything. If nobody’s going to get mad that Barton killed people while he was under mind control then they shouldn’t do the same to you.” Tony walked out of the room, feeling his heart race a bit. He hated getting so serious like that.   
“I’m very proud of you Sir.”  
“Oh shut up.” His face felt warm. Was he blushing?  
He shook his head as he watched Stark go. Getting into bed he settled in for what he hoped would be a dreamless sleep.  
Tony went to his room and fell onto his bed, sighing. He stared at the ceiling for a while, not wanting to go to sleep.   
“Jarvis, keep me up, would you?”  
“Yes Sir. Would you like to watch a movie perhaps?”  
In his room Loki tossed and turned as he dreamed. "No, no, no." He grunted. "I could have done it. I could have-" He gripped his pillow tight.  
Tony didn’t dream, which he was more than thankful for, but he couldn’t stay asleep very long either. Maybe his earlier nap wasn’t such a great idea. He woke up at one point in the night and yawned, waiting to fall back to sleep.   
"Sir, might you go and wake Mr. Laufeyson? He's having his own nightmares and they are more violent than the ones he usually has."  
Tony looked up then got out of his bed and went over to Loki’s room. Seems they had something in common. Tony approached the god carefully and managed to get ahold of his wrists but the god was a lot stronger than he looked.   
“Loki! Loki, wake up!” He groaned as the god kicked and hit him in the stomach. He straddled Loki’s hips, grunting with the effort to keep Loki down. “Loki!”  
Green eyes snapped open finally but the struggling did not stop at first as Loki thought it was a Chitauri holding him down.  
“Loki, it’s okay!” Tony gasped as Loki slipped one hand loose and hit him in the face. The playboy groaned and fell back, holding his nose. Tony kicked Loki back, frowning like a child. “You hit me in the nose!” He grumbled and sat up, blood trickling down over his lips. “Ow, fuck.”  
Loki sat up dropping his head into his hands. He tried to get the images from his mind.  
Tony watched the god for a moment and tried to wipe the blood onto his shirt. It smeared on his face, but he didn’t both with it. “Do you want me to stay in here with you?” He wasn’t sure why he asked that, and Tony was certain the god would say no. But hey, you couldn’t blame him for trying.   
"No." He said.   
Tony nodded his head and stood, sniffling as he felt more blood start to drip in his nose. “By the way, nightlights usually help with bad dreams.” He wiped his nose again and went back to his bathroom to wash his face.   
Loki sighed as the he got settled in the bed once more.   
"Will you be staying up for a while Sir?"  
Tony finished cleaning his face off then sighed. Might as well go and work on his suits. He ran a hand over his face and walked out of his room.   
“Hey Jarvis, what time is it?”  
“Four fifteen in the morning Sir. I take it you will not be returning to bed?”  
“Nah, I’m good. Hey, fix me some coffee.”  
Jarvis set them up with the rest of their game of chess so they would play again.  
Tony tinkered away in his lab, making changes to his suits and going over plans for other devices he had in mind.   
“All right, testing repulser field.” Tony had Jarvis record the test as he turned on the small device. It was a prototype for now, but if he did it right, it could be a new toy very soon. “All right, let’s try it at fifty percent capacity.” He turned up the small, humming blue shield then threw a screw at it. The screw flew off at the speed of a bullet and imbedded in the wall behind Tony.


	8. Chapter 8

Loki left Tony in the kitchen so he could go have a shower and a nap. He wanted to get the rest of the sleep he'd lost.  
Tony’s guest arrived not half an hour later. She was a pretty woman, really. Tony could never remember where they’d met, but he had her number and she always seemed to be available. He greeted her and invited her inside, going through the usual motions. Flirt, drink a little, flirt some more then head to the bedroom.   
“We haven’t talked in a while. I thought you were avoiding me.”  
“Well I was a little caught up, what with saving the world and all.” Tony smiled playfully and the woman giggled.   
“Oh is that all?”  
"Mr. Laufeyson I would advise you to stay in your room for the next few hours. Mr. Stark has a guest that you might unsettle."   
"Thank you for the notification Jarvis." Loki replied making his next move.  
“Was it scary when you were in that wormhole?”  
Tony stared at his drink for a moment, his gaze distant before he looked at the woman and flashed her a little smile. “You know, something’s telling me you’re not too interested in talking.”  
The woman smiled and sipped her drink. “Oh darn, am I that obvious?” She leaned close, kissing Tony. The playboy laced his fingers with her and the two of them headed into the bedroom. He didn’t want to talk, especially not about the wormhole. He’d rather leave those memories buried away.   
"Jarvis what kind of man is Stark?"  
"The man he is now or the man he used to be?" He asked.  
"Either or."  
Jarvis launched into the explanation and Loki found that the two had more in common than most.  
The woman ended up leaving some hours later, giggling and kissing Tony good night. The playboy saw her to the door then yawned. He headed over to the bar for another drink, pouring himself something light.   
“Not tired Sir?”  
“What, after the blond? Oh no.” Tony chuckled and sipped his drink.   
“I wasn’t asking because of that Sir.”  
Tony’s smile faltered just a bit and he shook his head. “I’m fine.”   
“Even though she brought up…”  
“I’m fine.” He spoke more sternly this time and took a large gulp of his drink. “Besides, lots of people bring it up.”  
When it was finally safe for Loki to venture out he left his room and went to get something to eat from the kitchen.   
"Did your visit go well?" He asked.  
Tony glanced over at the god and smiled playfully. “Well is an understatement but yeah. It went really well.” He chuckled in his throat and finished his drink. He then stood and went over to the fridge, pulling out one of his green shakes. It was about the healthiest thing he ate.   
“You’re lucky you didn’t get stuck here three years ago. I didn’t a silence over the rooms at that time.” He took a large, quick gulp of the drink then made a face. “Jarvis!”  
“Sorry Sir, but I adjusted your drinks a bit since you’re still drinking.”  
Tony rolled his eyes.   
"I don't need to know what you do with your company Stark. Just don’t get me in the middle of it." Loki said. He finished making his plate and sat down at the counter to eat this time.  
Tony laughed and shook his head. “I don’t do threesomes anymore. It’s embarrassing when you accidentally call someone by the wrong name.” Tony shook his head and finished his green drink. “Besides, I’m not really allowed to do anything to you.” He shrugged, sounding almost disappointed.   
"Good; don't touch me because I have no interest in getting into bed with you." Loki replied.  
Tony looked at the god for a moment then narrowed his eyes skeptically. “I wouldn’t want to bed your scrawny ass anyway. You’re probably loud and whiny.” Tony spoke in a sharp tone. He hadn’t met many people that didn’t want to sleep with him. This was a challenge and he greatly accepted. He sat tall, mocking the god’s regal pose ridiculously.   
Loki started cursing at him in Norse telling him how small his parts would be and how he would most likely cry his way through the entire ordeal.  
Tony just blinked, not having understood a word Loki just said. “I’m not the one that can’t get it up.” He replied smugly then downed a quick shot. “And I’ve read some of the mythology on you; the most action you’ve gotten was from people that thought you were a woman.” Tony quirked his brows a bit, daring the god to fight back.   
"You shouldn’t try to over step me simply because you read about me. What they say isn't as true as you think." He said.  
“It’s okay if you can’t own up to it. I know it’s embarrassing to admit that you’re no good in bed. Having such a huge scepter is usually indicative of a small dick anyway.” Tony retorted with a little smile before serving himself another drink. This was actually kind of fun.   
"I will not sink to your level. You don't know who I am, so stay out of a matter that does not concern you!" Loki walked off back to his room.  
Tony watched the god go then chuckled quietly to himself. He’d get to him. The playboy chugged his drink then set the glass there and sighed.   
“Hey Jarvis, you don’t happen to know anything he said to me, do you?”  
“I’m afraid I do not know enough Old Norse Sir.”  
“Go ahead and look stuff up and download it into your system.”  
“I shall do my best Sir, though I assure it wasn’t flirtation.”  
Tony chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I got that.”  
“Sir.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Please, don’t do this.”   
Tony’s smile faded and he looked towards Loki’s room. Something began to tug at the back of his mind and he glanced away quickly.   
“I’m not doing anything. Just trying to get Reindeer Games to play.” He shrugged then went down to his lab.   
"But Sir why but you provoke him to the point where he will respond with violence?" Jarvis asked. "Sir I cannot help you if he attacks you and if and when he does Fury will take him back to Shield."  
“I’m not going to let that happen.” Tony replied sternly then ran a hand over his face.   
“Sir, are you developing feelings for-“  
“No.” Tony interrupted the AI and got to work on some machines. “Come on, you know me Jarvis. I poke everyone.” Tony put on his work goggles and gloves. “Now start up some simulators.”  
“Very well Sir.”  
Loki was pacing back and forth. He wanted to yell and fight and run. He'd been leaving everything behind. Crawling into bed he pushed it out of his mind to forget it all. Jarvis was keeping track of when Loki did this, like he was storing up all his anger.  
“Sir, you’ve upset Loki quite a bit.”  
Tony pushed up his goggles. “Oh God, make up your mind. Do you want me to talk to him or not?”  
“Sir, you know this is not what I meant.”   
Tony scoffed and buried his face in his hands. What was he even doing? He hated Loki. With very fiber of his being he hated the god for what he’d done. But…he hadn’t actually done anything. Tony looked at the table for a moment.   
“Sir, you know I’m right.”   
“Yeah, I know Jarvis.”  
“Please Sir. We both know the truth. Do not make this harder than it needs to be.”  
"You know, Sir, things wouldn’t be so hard if you'd learn to keep your libido in check." Jarvis said in a smug tone.  
“Really? We’re going to have this discussion now?”   
“I’m only saying Sir.”  
“Yeah, you’re only saying it the way Pepper says it. Like there’s something wrong with my libido.”  
“You were trying to entice Loki into bed Sir.”  
Tony rolled his eyes. “He said my dick is small.”  
“And is it Sir?”  
“Don’t talk to me like my mom Jarvis. It’s weird.”   
“Sir, please go to bed. You have a meeting early in the morning and I prefer you look presentable or Ms. Potts will think me unfit.”  
“Hey, is she coming to the meeting?”  
“No Sir, she will also be on video chat.”  
Tony nodded and sighed a bit then took off his gloves. “Think I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.” Tony headed upstairs, suddenly feeling exhausted.   
"Very well, Sir." Jarvis adjusted the heat for Tony so he was comfortable on the couch.  
Tony fell asleep quickly enough on the couch, not having dreams that night.


	9. Chapter 9

Loki left Tony in the kitchen so he could go have a shower and a nap. He wanted to get the rest of the sleep he'd lost.  
Tony’s guest arrived not half an hour later. She was a pretty woman, really. Tony could never remember where they’d met, but he had her number and she always seemed to be available. He greeted her and invited her inside, going through the usual motions. Flirt, drink a little, flirt some more then head to the bedroom.   
“We haven’t talked in a while. I thought you were avoiding me.”  
“Well I was a little caught up, what with saving the world and all.” Tony smiled playfully and the woman giggled.   
“Oh is that all?”  
"Mr. Laufeyson I would advise you to stay in your room for the next few hours. Mr. Stark has a guest that you might unsettle."   
"Thank you for the notification Jarvis." Loki replied making his next move.  
“Was it scary when you were in that wormhole?”  
Tony stared at his drink for a moment, his gaze distant before he looked at the woman and flashed her a little smile. “You know, something’s telling me you’re not too interested in talking.”  
The woman smiled and sipped her drink. “Oh darn, am I that obvious?” She leaned close, kissing Tony. The playboy laced his fingers with her and the two of them headed into the bedroom. He didn’t want to talk, especially not about the wormhole. He’d rather leave those memories buried away.   
"Jarvis what kind of man is Stark?"  
"The man he is now or the man he used to be?" He asked.  
"Either or."  
Jarvis launched into the explanation and Loki found that the two had more in common than most.  
The woman ended up leaving some hours later, giggling and kissing Tony good night. The playboy saw her to the door then yawned. He headed over to the bar for another drink, pouring himself something light.   
“Not tired Sir?”  
“What, after the blond? Oh no.” Tony chuckled and sipped his drink.   
“I wasn’t asking because of that Sir.”  
Tony’s smile faltered just a bit and he shook his head. “I’m fine.”   
“Even though she brought up…”  
“I’m fine.” He spoke more sternly this time and took a large gulp of his drink. “Besides, lots of people bring it up.”  
When it was finally safe for Loki to venture out he left his room and went to get something to eat from the kitchen.   
"Did your visit go well?" He asked.  
Tony glanced over at the god and smiled playfully. “Well is an understatement but yeah. It went really well.” He chuckled in his throat and finished his drink. He then stood and went over to the fridge, pulling out one of his green shakes. It was about the healthiest thing he ate.   
“You’re lucky you didn’t get stuck here three years ago. I didn’t a silence over the rooms at that time.” He took a large, quick gulp of the drink then made a face. “Jarvis!”  
“Sorry Sir, but I adjusted your drinks a bit since you’re still drinking.”  
Tony rolled his eyes.   
"I don't need to know what you do with your company Stark. Just don’t get me in the middle of it." Loki said. He finished making his plate and sat down at the counter to eat this time.  
Tony laughed and shook his head. “I don’t do threesomes anymore. It’s embarrassing when you accidentally call someone by the wrong name.” Tony shook his head and finished his green drink. “Besides, I’m not really allowed to do anything to you.” He shrugged, sounding almost disappointed.   
"Good; don't touch me because I have no interest in getting into bed with you." Loki replied.  
Tony looked at the god for a moment then narrowed his eyes skeptically. “I wouldn’t want to bed your scrawny ass anyway. You’re probably loud and whiny.” Tony spoke in a sharp tone. He hadn’t met many people that didn’t want to sleep with him. This was a challenge and he greatly accepted. He sat tall, mocking the god’s regal pose ridiculously.   
Loki started cursing at him in Norse telling him how small his parts would be and how he would most likely cry his way through the entire ordeal.  
Tony just blinked, not having understood a word Loki just said. “I’m not the one that can’t get it up.” He replied smugly then downed a quick shot. “And I’ve read some of the mythology on you; the most action you’ve gotten was from people that thought you were a woman.” Tony quirked his brows a bit, daring the god to fight back.   
"You shouldn’t try to over step me simply because you read about me. What they say isn't as true as you think." He said.  
“It’s okay if you can’t own up to it. I know it’s embarrassing to admit that you’re no good in bed. Having such a huge scepter is usually indicative of a small dick anyway.” Tony retorted with a little smile before serving himself another drink. This was actually kind of fun.   
"I will not sink to your level. You don't know who I am, so stay out of a matter that does not concern you!" Loki walked off back to his room.  
Tony watched the god go then chuckled quietly to himself. He’d get to him. The playboy chugged his drink then set the glass there and sighed.   
“Hey Jarvis, you don’t happen to know anything he said to me, do you?”  
“I’m afraid I do not know enough Old Norse Sir.”  
“Go ahead and look stuff up and download it into your system.”  
“I shall do my best Sir, though I assure it wasn’t flirtation.”  
Tony chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I got that.”  
“Sir.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Please, don’t do this.”   
Tony’s smile faded and he looked towards Loki’s room. Something began to tug at the back of his mind and he glanced away quickly.   
“I’m not doing anything. Just trying to get Reindeer Games to play.” He shrugged then went down to his lab.   
"But Sir why but you provoke him to the point where he will respond with violence?" Jarvis asked. "Sir I cannot help you if he attacks you and if and when he does Fury will take him back to Shield."  
“I’m not going to let that happen.” Tony replied sternly then ran a hand over his face.   
“Sir, are you developing feelings for-“  
“No.” Tony interrupted the AI and got to work on some machines. “Come on, you know me Jarvis. I poke everyone.” Tony put on his work goggles and gloves. “Now start up some simulators.”  
“Very well Sir.”  
Loki was pacing back and forth. He wanted to yell and fight and run. He'd been leaving everything behind. Crawling into bed he pushed it out of his mind to forget it all. Jarvis was keeping track of when Loki did this, like he was storing up all his anger.  
“Sir, you’ve upset Loki quite a bit.”  
Tony pushed up his goggles. “Oh God, make up your mind. Do you want me to talk to him or not?”  
“Sir, you know this is not what I meant.”   
Tony scoffed and buried his face in his hands. What was he even doing? He hated Loki. With very fiber of his being he hated the god for what he’d done. But…he hadn’t actually done anything. Tony looked at the table for a moment.   
“Sir, you know I’m right.”   
“Yeah, I know Jarvis.”  
“Please Sir. We both know the truth. Do not make this harder than it needs to be.”  
"You know, Sir, things wouldn’t be so hard if you'd learn to keep your libido in check." Jarvis said in a smug tone.  
“Really? We’re going to have this discussion now?”   
“I’m only saying Sir.”  
“Yeah, you’re only saying it the way Pepper says it. Like there’s something wrong with my libido.”  
“You were trying to entice Loki into bed Sir.”  
Tony rolled his eyes. “He said my dick is small.”  
“And is it Sir?”  
“Don’t talk to me like my mom Jarvis. It’s weird.”   
“Sir, please go to bed. You have a meeting early in the morning and I prefer you look presentable or Ms. Potts will think me unfit.”  
“Hey, is she coming to the meeting?”  
“No Sir, she will also be on video chat.”  
Tony nodded and sighed a bit then took off his gloves. “Think I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.” Tony headed upstairs, suddenly feeling exhausted.   
"Very well, Sir." Jarvis adjusted the heat for Tony so he was comfortable on the couch.  
Tony fell asleep quickly enough on the couch, not having dreams that night.


	10. Chapter 10

He wasn’t expecting it to be morning so soon. Jarvis woke him up early so he could get ready for the meeting. He grumbled and got up, jumping into the shower and forgetting for a moment that Loki was there. He walked out of his room with a towel around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth.   
“Jarvis, suit.”  
“Might I suggest the light blue one Sir? It will make you look more awake.”  
“Oh, the Armani?”  
“Yes Sir.”   
Tony nodded in thought then spat into the kitchen sink before grabbing some water.   
“How’s Pep?”  
“She is getting ready now Sir and will call to confirm.”  
Loki on the other hand planned on stay in bed all day. "Jarvis do you have anything that will make me sleep."  
“I am unsure of its effects, but might I recommend the sleeping pills Mr. Stark keeps? It’s a mild tranquilizer; one pill knocks Mr. Stark out for a solid ten hours. Perhaps those would work?”  
Tony guzzled down one of his green drinks as he headed back into his room and went into his closet.   
“Brown shoes or black?”  
“Your brown ones Sir, the dusty ones.”  
Tony pulled out the shoes and suit then put on his boxers.   
“How much time do I have?”  
“Still forty minutes Sir.”  
"Is there any way I may have them without alerting Stark." He said.   
"There is sir." Jarvis replied.  
"Please. I don't want to get up I want to sleep." Loki sighed.  
One of the suits from downstairs hummed to life and Jarvis brought it upstairs. Tony finished getting dressed and checked himself over before heading towards his lab for the meeting with Pepper on the phone.   
“So what’s this about again?”  
“It’s just a trade agreement with some of our clients. Try to be nice Tony.”  
“Yeah, got it.” Tony headed into the lab, not noticing the suit. Jarvis watched Tony then walked into the room and grabbed the pills before taking them to Loki.   
“Here you are Mr. Laufeyson.”  
"Thank you Jarvis." Loki took a few out and set them to the side. Grabbing the few and going to the bathroom with them Loki downed the five. While at Shield they'd learned the hard way that Loki needed high, dangerous-to-humans dosages to get them to work.  
“I hope you sleep well Sir.”  
Tony put in his ear piece then headed into his office area for the meeting. He wasn’t sure why he had it, he never worked there, but Pepper insisted he keep a more professional room in the tower. Tony sat behind the desk and turned on his monitors.   
“Pep?”  
“I’m here. Do you have the copies I sent?”  
“Yeah, got em.”  
"Alright then we can begin the meeting in an hour. Have you eaten?" She asked.  
“Yeah.” Tony skimmed through the notes as he replied.   
“Tony, I’m serious.”  
“I ate.”  
“What did you eat?”  
“Food.”  
“Tony.” Pepper sighed heavily and rubbed her temples. “You need to eat.”  
“I am eating. Ask Jarvis.”  
“Jarvis, is he eating?”  
“If you could call it eating.”  
"Tony, eat a proper mean for heaven's sake." She said.  
"I'll make an omelet for you sir." Jarvis replied.  
“Pep, I’ll eat. Promise on my favorite car.” Tony smiled playfully at the redhead then set the notes to the side. She gave him a skeptical look but nodded her head.   
“Is he still there?”  
“Yes, he is. Pep, can we call him something when we talk? Why don’t you call him Reindeer Games?”  
“Why don’t I just call him an asshole?”  
“Because then I’ll get him confused with Rogers.”  
"Tony he should be locked away in a cell where he can't see the light of day." She said.  
Loki was fast sleep in his bed the medicine doing its job.  
“And what should happen to me?” Tony looked at the woman rather upset and Pepper sighed heavily through her nose.   
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”  
“If we look at my track record, we both know that’s a big lie. I did plenty wrong, and that’s not even including the weapons. So how long should I be locked up?”  
“He killed people.”  
“So do I Pepper.”  
“He did it on purpose! His whole plan was to come to earth and kill all of us off!”  
“You don’t know even know what really happened to him.”  
“And let me guess, he’s the one that told you what really happened? The god of mischief and lies told you the truth?”  
“He was tortured Pep. And not just by the aliens that he was forced to work with but by SHIELD also. He was under the same mind control as Clint…”  
“I can’t believe you’ve seriously fallen for this. You actually believe what that bastard told you? Are you an idiot?”  
Pepper watched him for a moment. “Remember who we are and what he is." she said. "He's a killer and a monster and nearly killed you."  
“The people that put this in my chest weren’t any better Pepper!” Tony raised his voice as he pointed to his reactor. “Or does that not count because they’re human?”  
“That’s not what I meant!”  
“Then what did you mean?”  
“He’s not human Tony! He doesn’t care about us!”  
“How would you know?”  
Pepper was about to shout back when she stopped and looked at Tony questioningly. “Oh my God.”  
Tony looked at her surprised and swallowed. “What?”  
“You…you care about him.” Pepper looked at Tony anger and disgusted.   
“What? No, that’s insane.”  
"No, you do. He's got you under some spell, he must." Pepper said. "Why would you defend that freak? He's a monster and a killer and you know it. He had no problem killing, I saw the footage he was wearing a smile."  
“I’m not under a spell Pepper, his magic doesn’t work on me because of the reactor.” Tony looked at her sternly and felt his anger bubbling over. “And I don’t care for him, I just wish everyone would give him the same chance they gave Bruce and me!”  
“Bruce couldn’t control himself Tony.”  
“Neither could Loki.”  
“Sir, Ms. Potts, I have to interrupt but everyone is online and waiting for the meeting to begin.”  
Pepper looked at Tony angrily then took a deep breath and regained her composure for the meeting. Tony played his card also, dulling out his usual behavior. A smug grin and a smart comment here and there, just enough to make sure those he spoke to knew how much he didn’t care about their issues.   
After the meeting Pepper called Fury and told him what she thought. Fury nodded and decided to pay a visit to the playboy and resident villain.  
"Sir, Director Fury is here to see you."   
“God damn it.” Tony groaned but pulled on a smile and let the director in. “Oh, here to see me?”  
“Knock off the jokes Stark, Ms. Potts just called me.”   
Tony pressed his tongue to his teeth then walked over to the bar. “Want a drink?”  
“Don’t avoid this Stark.”  
“I bought this new rum that’s supposed to not have the sting to it. Do you think it would still be any good?” He held up the bottle and served himself a glass before offering one to Fury.   
"Where is he?" Fury asked.  
"He's in his room, sleeping, Director Fury." Jarvis replied. Loki had been out since he took the pills that morning.  
"I doubt he's sleeping, more like plotting again." Fury said.  
“Yeah, because I don’t keep him under constant surveillance.” Tony looked at the director exasperated. “I have him under tighter security than you did at SHIELD. He’s under constant monitoring and I have Jarvis analyzing every single thing he does.”  
“Does that include monitoring how you interact with him?”  
“Yes, it does.” Tony shot back then sipped his drink. “I’m handling this. Just because I’m not beating the shit out of him doesn’t mean I’m not doing my job.”  
“He’s a war criminal Stark.”  
“And he’s on probation. Or did you lie to me when you said that part?”  
"You wouldn't know a lie if you saw one." Fury said. "Potts told me how he told you what happened. I want to hear it for myself." Fury said.   
“Yeah well he’s sleeping, so come back later.”  
“Then wake him up, Stark!”  
“I am afraid that will be rather difficult Director Fury. Mr. Laufeyson has taken a few sleeping pills.”  
“He has sleeping pills?”  
“We borrowed yours Sir.”  
Tony nodded his head. “I have sleeping pills?”  
Jarvis sighed. Fury growled at this.  
"I told you not to give him any luxuries." Fury said.  
"It’s not a luxury Director." Jarvis replied.  
“He’s on probation now Fury. That means no more torture and a chance at redemption.” Tony said as he frowned at the director. “That’s all I’m giving him.”


	11. Chapter 11

“Just remember that you work for me and that you, as far as I know, are still on humanity’s side.”  
“Yeah, I’ll remember that the next time I have to replace my reactor.”  
Fury clenched his jaw and sighed heavily. “Don’t fall for his games Stark. He didn’t soften up for his family and he’s not gonna soften up for you.”  
“I’m not an idiot Fury.”

The men stared each other down for a moment before Fury left. Tony sighed and ran his hands over his face and through his hair.   
“Jarvis, make me a smoothie.”  
“Of course Sir.”  
Tony walked towards his room, removing his tie. First Fury, then Bruce now Pepper. Who else was going to lecture him? All he needed now was for Steve to parade in and scold him too.   
When Loki finally came around it was early evening.  
"Mr. Laufeyson, might I suggest getting something to eat?" Jarvis said.

"I'm not hungry Jarvis."  
"Very well." He replied.  
Tony was buzzed by now. He sat at the island, still wearing the suit pants with only a tank top.   
“Hey Jarvis, do you ever get lonely?”

“No Sir. Might I ask why you wish to know?”  
“I was thinking, maybe I should make a girlfriend for you.”  
“That’s quite unnecessary Sir.”  
“All right, a boyfriend then.”

“No thank you, I am quite content with your company and Mr. Laufeyson’s added presence.”  
Tony shrugged and downed his drink then glanced over at a bouquet of flowers that sat in the trash. Apparently, Pepper was still too upset for peace-treaties.   
"Mr. Laufeyson is awake as well, Sir." Jarvis informed. "Sir, are you feeling lonely without Ms. Potts?" he questioned.  
Tony stared at his glass then served himself another drink. “She’s the only friend I have Jarvis. I can always count her to be there.” 

“I am sorry for the rift that has grown between you two Sir. I am sure you can understand her disdain however.”  
“It’s not that I don’t get it. I get why she’s upset but she doesn’t have to take it out on me.” Tony took a large swig of his drink and sighed. He was silent for a moment then spoke up again. “You think I’m doing the right thing?”  
"Well, sir would you rather let a fairly innocent man suffer for crimes he had no control over." Jarvis said. "You were given a second chance and you are doing the right thing by opening the gate to him a second chance."

“You know, I don’t like being pegged for him being tortured when I didn’t even know what was happening.” Tony snapped back then finished his drink. Everything was starting to spin a little bit. “I don’t want pepper to hate me.”  
“I am sure she doesn’t Sir.”  
“I hope you’re right.” Tony rubbed his forehead and sighed then stood. “All right, I’m calling someone.”  
“Who would that be Sir?”

“I don’t know. What was the name of that redhead I brought over for the New Year’s party?”  
“Ah, Ms. Casey Burns?”  
“Yeah, that one.” Tony grinned and looked through his phone before finding the woman’s number.   
"Mr. Laufeyson I would suggest getting something to eat now." Jarvis said.  
"For what?"

"Mr. Stark has company coming again and it would be best if you stayed in your room." He replied.  
Tony got dressed and ready for his date before checking his phone. He sent Pepper another apology message then set his phone on the counter.   
“Hey Jarvis, what do I have planned this week?”

“The usual meetings and your birthday is this Saturday.”  
“Oh.” Tony said, almost disappointed. He didn’t pay much attention to his birthday. And considering he usually celebrated with Pepper-who was still angry with him-it would only dampen his mood. 

"Would you like me to set up your usual birthday party, Sir?" Jarvis asked.  
Loki did as Jarvis instructed and came through to kitchen to get himself something to eat.  
Tony thought for a moment then shook his head. “You know what? Let’s skip it this year.”  
“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna be alone anyway and what kind of party only has one person?” Tony rolled his eyes. That sounded boring as hell, not to mention the whole point of his birthday was to have Pepper there. It was one of the few times they could just relax and be themselves.   
“Very well then. Your guest is on her way Sir.”  
Tony hummed in response and went to the bar, getting a drink before Casey arrived. 

"But, Sir, what about all your new friends?" Jarvis asked. "Will you not invite them?"  
Loki came out of his room at that moment to get something to eat and go back.  
“What new friends?” Tony chuckled a bit then shook his head. “I don’t have friends Jarvis. Pepper won’t talk to me and Bruce won’t talk to me and Natasha, Steve and I aren’t friends and don’t get me started on Barton.” He groaned. “I’m fine not celebrating.” 

“If you insist Sir, though it would be a shame to miss the occasion.”  
“All right, then you and me can celebrate it. I’ll make some kind of temporary virus so you can get drunk.”  
“I would rather not Sir.”  
"If there's alcohol Thor would be happy to celebrate with you." Loki remarked. His own birthday was a sour occasion. As a child they were always very grand but he knew that people only out up with them because he was a child. Getting older he found no point in them and begged his mother to stop arranging them.

Tony glanced over at the god, surprised that he was speaking to him. Usually Loki didn’t say anything unless Tony spoke first. “Why don’t you celebrate it with me?” He smiled a bit, giving Loki an innocent look. “It’ll be fun. Just you me and Jarvis.”  
“Might I make a request you remain sober for at least half of it Sir?”  
"Don't take this the wrong way, I don't celebrate birthdays." He said.

Tony just stared at the god for a moment then blinked his eyes quickly, trying to clear his mind. “Wait, okay hold on. So you’re telling me that you of all people don’t celebrate birthdays? Why?” He couldn’t believe it, but then he supposed everyone did something unnatural.  
"Because there's no point in celebrating when one is forced to be there; one is genuinely happy to be there and one is there to drink with his friends. While the rest are just simply there because it expected of them." he replied.

Tony looked at the god and nodded his head a bit. “Guess you’re right on that.” He shrugged. “You should still celebrate with me.” He smiled playfully then looked at his phone as it vibrated.   
“Sir, your guest has arrived.”  
“Go ahead and send her up.” Tony didn’t sound too eager for her to be there. But hey, he needed someone to keep him company. And after talking to Jarvis for too long, he started to miss human contact. “Guess I’ll see you later then.” Tony looked at the god and winked before going to the door. 

Loki quickly headed off to his room to hide away from him and the rest of the world. He still had the sleeping pills so he could take those after he was done.  
Tony welcomed his guest inside, greeting her with the same cocky smile he showed everyone else. They chatted and before long they ventured into the bedroom.   
Some hours later, Casey left. He liked the underwear models because they always had to be somewhere else, so he never had to spend the night with them. Tony sat out on the couch, staring at the ceiling. 

“You know what? I think I actually want a cake.”  
“On your birthday Sir?”  
“Yeah. Tiramisu. Ever had it?”  
“Obviously not Sir.”  
"But I shall put it on back order for your birthday." Jarvis added. "I would also like to inform you that Loki has gone to sleep once more."  
Tony was quiet for a moment before walking over to Loki’s room. He cracked the door open just slightly, just so he could see the god. He looked so upset, even when he was asleep. Tony watched Loki for a moment then shut the door and walked over to the bar. 

“I think something’s wrong.”  
“Is it your reactor Sir?” Jarvis asked slightly worried, but Tony just shook his head.   
“I mean about…about him.”  
"He's not having a nightmare, Sir." Jarvis replied. "What do you think could be wrong with him?" He asked.  
“I don’t know. It’s like there’s something there he wants people to know but he doesn’t want to tell anyone.”   
“Sir, may I ask you an honest question?”

“Jarvis, I don’t think you’ve ever asked any other kind.”  
“Do you care for Loki?”   
Tony looked at his hands as he thought about that. “I don’t know.”  
“Sir, he is not human. What could possibly be attracting you to him?”  
“We’re a lot alike Jarvis. We were both raised by fathers that wanted more than we could give but didn’t mind pushing us down. We’ve been hurt and lied to all our lives. And when we finally pushed back everyone acted like they didn’t know why we did it.”

“Sir, if you will only listen to me once, let this be the time: do not do this. It’s not good for either yourself or Loki. He will never feel the same way towards you Sir.”  
Tony nodded quietly. “Go ahead and order me that tiramisu and some pizza on my birthday.”  
“Very well Sir. Are you going to sleep now?”  
“Why not?” Tony lay on the couch, too tired to go back to his room. 

"Sir why do you keep digging yourself a hole like this?" Jarvis asked. Jarvis knew what Loki was doing was what he wanted to do. Leave everything behind and sleep while the world passed him by.  
Tony shrugged and turned on his side, closing his eyes. “Night Jarvis.”  
“Good night Sir.” The AI replied softly, dimming the lights and warming up the living room for Tony to sleep. 

He jolted awake from a short nightmare sometime later. Tony looked around the living room, his heart racing as he tried to calm himself down.   
“Are you all right Sir?”  
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”


	12. Chapter 12

Loki on the other hand was fast asleep and having pleasant dreams for once or rather dreaming of a pleasant memory. He was in the arena with Frigga and she was training him to use his speed and agility to his advantage.

Tony lapsed in and out of sleep the entire night before just giving up and going into the kitchen for coffee. He sat at the island and checked through his phone, sighing when he didn’t see any replies from Pepper. 

Loki finally emerged from his room. He sighed when he realized it was a rainy day out. "Am I allowed on the balcony?" he asked Tony.

Tony looked over at the god and nodded, sipping his coffee. “Yeah, go ahead. Might want to wear a jacket though, it’s raining pretty hard today.”

 

“Sir, shall I cancel your meeting with the board?”

“Yeah, reschedule and tell em I was sick.”

“Of course Sir. Also, Ms. Potts is on the line.” 

Tony quickly picked up his phone. “Pep?”

Loki didn't care if it was cold he just wanted to breath fresh air for once. 

"Tony for the last time: stop sending me flowers." Pepper answered.

“I thought you liked flowers.”

“I get it, you’re sorry. No more flowers, okay? There were two dozen bouquets in my office this morning.”

“I was just trying to get the point across. You free for lunch this week?”

“Tony, I told you I’m busy all this week. I can’t just take off when you want me to.”

“All right, next week.”

“Tony.” She said in a more serious tone. 

 

Loki let the rain soak his skin and slowly his clothes. 

"Mr. Laufeyson what is the point in this?" Jarvis asked.

"Jarvis did you know I had children?" Loki asked.

"No, I did not." He replied.

“I’m completely booked with meetings Tony.”

“All right. Tell you what; we’ll play it by ear.”

“Bye Tony.” Pepper ended the call and Tony there in silence for a moment. It was maddening to feel so disconnected from everyone. Bruce still hadn’t called him back either. 

“Sir, are you all right?”

“Yeah. Peachy.” Tony stood and went to the bar, grabbing a beer and guzzling it down. 

“Has Rhodey called back?”

“No Sir, it seems he is still quite upset.”

Tony nodded his head and took another large gulp. He looked at Loki, watching the god from where he stood. He should have just done what everyone expected him to do: beat the life out of Loki and keep him locked up. Tony started to feel anger well up in his stomach, so he looked away from Loki. He wouldn’t stoop that low, especially not now that he knew the truth.

Loki finally brought himself back in. He watched Stark for a moment. "Something wrong Stark?" He asked.

Tony stayed quiet for a moment then finished his drink and reached for another. “No, just thinking.” He smiled a bit, though the thoughts still swirled around in his head like mad. “Won’t you get sick after standing out in the rain like that?” He changed the subject, though he was genuinely curious. Unless illness didn’t effect gods?

"The cold doesn't bother me. Never has really, now I know why." He replied. "Though I was sick once but that was after a battle where the wound became infected."

“You know there’s one thing that bothers me about all this. You and Thor are nothing alike. He’s a pig, he’s messy and loud and really playful and you’re quiet and well-spoken. Not to mention the fact that you have green eyes and black hair while he has blue eyes and blond hair. How did you never suspect you were adopted?” 

"Because I assumed I got my features from another member of the family. By the time I was old enough to remember Odin had grey hair." Loki replied. "I should have known better. He always valued Thor over me. If something was wrong with Thor he was there in seconds to make it better; for me he told me to get over it."

Tony looked at the god then hummed in response before speaking. “Must have been hard growing up with that, knowing that no matter what you did it wouldn’t be good enough.” Tony grabbed a fresh beer out of the fridge. “If it makes you feel any better I prefer you over Thor. He smashed my TV.” Tony said in an angry tone, clearly still sore over the incident. It had been almost three months now, but Tony had made the TV himself. 

"He always breaks things. He does not know how to be gentle and how to be rough without separating the two." Loki explained.

“He could learn a thing or two from you.” Tony sipped his beer then walked over to look out the window. “Looks like it’ll be raining all day.” He sighed a bit, though it wasn’t as if he had plans to go out anyway. He just watched the rain for a moment, feeling melancholy again.

“You know me and Pepper would go out sometimes for coffee when it rained.” He spoke quietly, though he wasn’t even really sure why he was telling Loki anyway.   
"And yet I am not allowed to leave the tower." He sighed. Loki wanted to go out, stretch his legs and run.

Tony looked at Loki for a moment then set his drink down. “You know what? I’ll take you out.”

“Sir, I would advise against…”

 

“Jarvis, you need to stop being so uptight.” Tony retorted then looked at Loki with a little smile. 

“Sir, he is not allowed to leave the tower.”

“No, he’s just not allowed to leave without me. As long as he’s not alone, he can go wherever he wants.”

"I'll get dressed." Loki ran off to his room. He wanted so badly to go outside and walk around feel some sort of freedom.

He returned dryer and dressed for the day.

Tony pulled one some shoes and a jacket and was about to walk out with Loki before he paused. 

“Did we forget that everyone will recognize Loki on the streets, Sir?”

“Don’t be cute.” Tony frowned then got an idea. He pulled out his sunglasses and put them on the god. “There, now no one knows you.”

“Sir.”

“Oh don’t be such a prude Jarvis, it worked for Superman. Besides, we’re not going that far.” Tony grinned and put on another pair of sunglasses before taking Loki out.

Loki was ready to go out. "Come on." He said. Loki was by the door in a moment’s notice ready to head out.

"Director Fury Stark is moving him out of the tower." One of the agents said.

“Keep an eye on them. If that freak so much blinks funny, you move in and drag his ass back here.” Fury had the agents pull up security so they could watch. He was going to fillet Stark the moment he had a chance. 

Tony headed out with Loki, shuddering just slightly from the cold left behind by the rain. “Just remember, we can’t go too far.” He started walking around the tower with Loki, hands in his pockets. 

Loki nodded. "I remember." He said. He pulled the hood to his jacket over his head as they walked. "Where are you taking me?" He asked.

“Just around the tower. That’s as far as I have clearance to take you.” Tony shrugged a bit and kept walking with the god. It didn’t seem like very much space to him, but really, it was quite a large area that surrounded the tower. There wasn’t anywhere near them, all the hustle and bustle of the city was well beyond the trees that surrounded them. “I’m sorry about what Pepper said to you. She’s really a nice person.”

"I don't care Stark. I really don't." He said. Loki had heard it all over the years. "I don't care what they say about me anymore. I've heard it all thousands of times."

Tony looked at the god then away as they kept walking. “I say that all the time when people call me a useless drunk and a baby killer. You say it doesn’t bug you but when you’re alone, that’s all you can hear.” He looked around a bit and sighed. “Where did all these trees come from?” He didn’t remember leaving them there, but he supposed it was Pepper’s idea. She always liked natural stuff like that: organic food, large parks, cotton sweaters. What a strange woman.

"Stop it." He said. "If I don't think about it I can stay out of my head longer. Otherwise the circle just keeps going. I've just spent a year inside my own head and I don't want to go back."

Tony nodded quietly, looking away from the god. “I’m just saying I know what it’s like to be trapped there.” He sneezed suddenly and groaned a bit. Was he coming down with something? “I know this is a long shot but you’re invited to my birthday party this Saturday.”

Loki looked at him. "I've never really been invited anywhere." Loki replied.

“Well you’re invited to my party. It’ll just be the two of us. And Jarvis but I can’t really not invite him.” Tony rolled his eyes a bit. He paused when he felt a raindrop hit his nose and looked up, groaning as it began to pour again. “God damn it!” He quickly ducked under a tree, throwing up his arms in defeat when he saw how wet his shoes were. 

Loki looked up at the sky. The rain didn't bother him. "Are you trying to fight the rain?" He asked.

“No, I love getting soaked to the bone.” Tony smiled sarcastically then sneezed again. Yeah, he was getting sick. “Hope you’re happy. Now I’m sick because you had to come out today of all days.” Tony started to shake a bit as the cold water soaked through his jacket. 

Loki stopped and looked back at him. "I told you I get blamed for everything." He said, heading back to the tower.

Tony watched the god then ran to catch up with him. “Hey wait, that’s not what I…” Tony yelped as his foot slipped and he landed face first in some mud. He lay there for a moment then sneezed and growled out annoyed. He stood and stormed into the tower muttering under his breath without noticing. “I wasn’t fucking blaming you!” He shouted scowling as he saw the tracks of mud he was leaving. He sneezed again


	13. Chapter 13

“Sir, I would change out of those clothes soon or you will become quite ill.”

Tony took off the muddy clothes and walked to his room wearing nothing but boxers.

Loki sighed as he closed the door to his room. All he could hear would the voices of others telling him it was his fault here and there. That certain things were wrong because he was around.

Tony changed into some dry clothes and looked over at Loki’s room. He really shouldn’t have said that. He knew better than to say something like that. He sighed and went over to Loki’s room, knocking on the door. 

“Loki, can we talk?”

"No we can't." He answered. The god was in the middle of the bed rocking slightly.

Tony stood there a moment then walked in anyway. He looked at Loki and felt guilty for the comment he’d made. 

“But the comments people make don’t bother you anymore, huh?” He asked then went over to Loki. He wasn’t sure what he was doing or why he was doing it, but what was the worst thing that could happen? He put his arms around the god, hugging him tight. “I shouldn’t have said that to you.” 

Loki shoved him away. "Don't touch me. I don't want your sympathy I'm fine." He growled. "It doesn't bother me it doesn't!" He shouted. He was saying it more for his own benefit than Stark's. "I was alone then as I am now. Alone protects me."

Tony clenched his jaw and pinned the god to the bed. “Really? Because to me it looks like being alone is what got you here in the first place!” Tony put his arms on both sides of the god’s head, forcing Loki to look at him. “I tried being nice, tried tiptoeing around your issues like Jarvis told me to, but you know what? Screw your issues. You’re scared because every time you shut your eyes all you hear are the voices of everyone that hurt you.”

"Shut up!" He shouted. "You don't know anything." He said. Loki could feel the tears stinging his eyes but refused to let them fall. 

“Yes I do! I know because you told me about the torture and about your family. How much did being alone help you when you were with the Chitauri? How much did being alone help when you were stuck in SHIELD custody?” Tony felt his hands begin to shake a bit. He was getting too close. “Being alone doesn’t protect you and you know it. Because being alone is what makes you believe everything everyone has ever said about you.”

Loki's shoved him away from and sank to the floor. "Shut up." He said. Loki hated dealing with emotions, especially his own emotions. "Just shut up." He cried, his body shaking.

“No, I won’t. Because I’m not going to leave you alone like everyone else has.” Tony looked at the god and reached a hand to him. “You can shove as hard as you want but I know for a fact that you don’t want to be alone. You’re just afraid of what happens when there’s actually someone there with you.”

Loki ignored the hand. He didn't want to accept the man's help. Accepting help has only ever gotten him into trouble.

Tony pulled Loki in for a hug again, holding him tight. He wouldn’t let go. “I’m not going to leave.” He spoke quietly. “I know I can’t fix anything but I’m not going to let you get lost again.”

Loki stayed in the man's hold having it out and letting the tears pass.

Tony almost couldn’t believe he wasn’t dead. Usually his stupid ideas ended badly, but this time it actually seemed to work without injury. He rubbed Loki’s back gently, holding him close. “You don’t have to be scared of me, you know.”

Loki nodded softly though he hadn't been scared to begin with.

Tony held the god a while longer then sat with him on the bed. He wiped the tears off Loki’s cheek and smiled a bit. “You’re actually kinda cute when you cry. Your nose gets all red and your eyes look huge.” Tony couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. Loki looked so adorable with his eyes watery like that.

Loki shoved him. "Shut up." He said.

Tony chuckled. “It’s true. It’s a good look on you though.” He smiled a bit then looked outside as he heard the thunder rumble. “Jarvis, is that a storm?”

“I’m afraid so Sir. It seems to have moved in unexpectedly.”

Tony nodded and tensed a bit. Ever since the wormhole, he couldn’t sleep during storms. He stared out the window, blinking as the lightening flashed. 

“Great.”

"Storms are easy to sleep through." He said. It's easy to relax. "Jarvis lights please."

"Yes sir." He said cutting the light in the room. 

Tony clenched his hands a bit as the lights went out and he stood. “Easy for you.”

“I take it you’re not sleeping tonight Sir?”

“Nope. Make me some coffee.” Tony turned to leave the room then looked at Loki. “I meant what I said.”

Loki nodded. "Very well." He said. Once Tony was gone Loki calmed down much more and settled in.

"Sir why is it easy for you to sleep during a storm?" Jarvis asked.

"I grew up with the god of thunder. Storms used to lull me to sleep."

“I do not suppose you could console Mr. Stark then? He has terrible nightmares on stormy nights.”

Tony went down to his lab, hoping to drown out the sound of the thunder outside. It was a quiet rumble, but just knowing about the storm made him tense. 

"I would if I could but I can't. I don't have my magic Jarvis. Without it I can't show him that this storm is nothing but Thor being drunk." Loki replied.

“Perhaps if you spoke to him?” 

Tony sat in the lab for a while before grabbing a drink. Maybe being a little drunk would help?

Loki went down to the lab and knocked on the glass. "Stark."

Tony looked over, surprised to see Loki there. “Come in.” The doors opened and let Loki into the lab. He knew the god wasn’t really supposed to be down there, but what was the worst he could do? Tony took a swig of his beer then set the bottle aside. “Can’t sleep?” He asked in a mocking tone.

"I can sleep just fine." he replied. "I came to see about you." Loki replied. "Jarvis told me you had trouble sleeping." He said.

Tony looked at Loki then away before shrugging. “I’ll just stay up. Can’t have trouble sleeping if you just don’t sleep.”

“He has nightmares about the wormhole.” Jarvis interjected and Tony frowned. 

“Thank you Jarvis!”

"I am sorry you had to see such things." He said. Loki had seen so much over the centuries that he just gave up trying to let it bother him.

“It’s not your fault. I’m the one that flew into the damn thing.” Tony shrugged. He just couldn’t get over the feeling of being inside the wormhole. He’d passed into another world and he could feel the icy grip of that terrible place through his suit. Then suddenly, he was falling through darkness, alone. He shook his head, trying to chase those ideas from his mind. 

“Anyway, you should get to sleep. I’ll be up all night.” He flashed Loki a bit of a smile, trying to play off his nervousness. He paused a bit when there was another low rumble from outside. 

"You don't understand." He said. "It's not going to do you well if you don't face it. Face the wormhole again head on in your dreams and conquer it."

“You know, it’s nice that you’re trying to offer some help, but I don’t need it.” Tony looked at the god, flinching when there was another loud roll of thunder. “I can face this on my own, just like I did when I got my reactor. I’m fine.” He couldn’t face it again, not alone. All he could think about was floating through a void of space for what like an eternity. Not even Pepper was there for him when he needed her most. Tony rubbed his eyes then ran his fingers through his hair. “Go to sleep Loki.” He said quietly.

"When I was surrounded by that darkness I'd wished I had something like your reactor to bring me some light and maybe even comfort." He said. "I've seen war since I was fourteen. I've seen horrors no boy ever should see and yet I was afraid of something as silly as the dark until then."

Tony looked at Loki curiously. He’d seen a void similar to the one Loki experienced; the god wasn’t lying about that fear. “I don’t have anyone, Loki. I used to have Pepper and Bruce, somebody to talk to about this. I never had to spend nights alone.” He looked away. “I don’t handle being alone very well.”

"Then why not seek out better company then someone you simply want to bed for a few hours?" Loki offered.

Tony just chuckled, truly amused by the suggestion. “Well, for starters nobody wants someone that’s broken. Nobody wants to date a guy that has nightmares or panic attacks. They want a guy whose rich and good looking, both which I am, but nobody wants to deal with any of my problems.” Tony looked away from the god, sighing. “Besides, I’m no good for anybody. I tried with Pep and we can all see how well that turned out.”

"You're right, no one wants someone broken and tight lipped. Why do you think whenever I went to bed with someone I went in a female form?" He asked. "It's nice not being myself. Stop being what everyone wants you to be and be who you want to be. You hurt yourself less when you are yourself." 

Tony nodded quietly then looked at Loki. “I don’t really have the ability to change gender at will though.” He chuckled dryly. “But it would be nice not to be me for a while.” Tony flinched again as there was another loud rumble outside. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself down. He reached for his beer, taking a large gulp. 

"Would you like to know how to conquer a storm?" Loki asked. 

Tony opened his eyes and looked at Loki. Should he trust the god? What if he really was just lying? Tony hesitated a moment then sighed a bit. No, he could trust Loki.   
“How?”

"You face it head on." Loki smiled. "Come on."

Tony stared at Loki then looked away. “I can’t do it.” He felt the tightness in his chest get worse as he thought about the wormhole. He could feel the cold all around him and hear the pure emptiness of space around him. He closed his eyes again, cradling his head in his hands. 

Loki made Tony look him in the eyes. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Loki stated. 

Tony looked into the god’s eyes, his own full of fear. He didn’t know what to do and that was what scared him the most. He didn’t like not knowing things. “That’s easy for you to say. You know what’s out there, you’ve seen it! You grew up around all that I…!” Tony took a deep breath, his hands shaking. “I didn’t know what was going on and I was alone.”


	14. Chapter 14

"You're not alone. I'll be right by your side, I swear." Loki told him. 

Tony felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at Loki shocked. “Why are you doing this?” He asked quietly. He was afraid, but for some reason, he felt he could trust Loki.

"Because you shouldn't let fear control you this much." He said. "You should face your fears." He said. 

Tony nodded, shaking slightly and tensed when the lights in the lab went out. “Jarvis?!”

“I have not lost power Sir, but I believe this will help.”

Tony felt his heart start to race and his breathing quickened as well. He felt cold suddenly and the lab began to fade into nothing around him. 

Loki tensed a bit as well but calmed himself down. "If you were ever afraid of the dark as a child how did you get over it? See this as that." 

“I was never scared of the dark when I was a kid.” He tried to steady his breathing, jumping slightly as the thunder outside boomed again. “I wasn’t scared of anything as a kid, except getting in trouble with my dad.” He closed his eyes then suddenly reached out and gripped Loki’s hand as lightning tore across the sky. There was a loud boom outside.

Loki ran his thumb over the back of his hand. "Why does the thunder scare you?" He asked. 

Tony stared at the wall, watching the light reflect off it every time the lightning struck. “Because that’s what the bomb sounded like when it went off. Just a loud boom and then everything started exploding.” Tony’s eyes glazed over as he remembered seeing it. The nuke collided with the Chitauri ship and suddenly, all he could see was mad bursts of light. 

 

Loki leaned into his ear and started to whisper to him. 

Tony tensed a bit, listening to Loki. For some reason, the god’s voice was so soothing. It was so smooth and deep, Tony felt he could listen to it all night. He closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of Loki’s voice and he began to relax. 

Loki pulled back from him a few moments later. "Look at me." He told the other. 

Tony opened his eyes and looked at Loki. He looked into the god’s eyes and for a moment, he felt himself get lost in the jade green before him. 

Thunder roared and rumbled outside and they didn’t move. "See the fear is gone."

Tony’s eyes widened as he looked at Loki. “Son of a bitch. How did you do that?” He almost couldn’t believe it. There was a storm raging outside, and yet he was relaxed. Was it magic? No, Loki didn’t have his powers.

Loki smiled. "Just one of those things I can do." Loki said. It was the power of being a parent. He'd once calmed his oldest during a storm and his youngest as well before they were taken from him. "My mother taught it to me." He said. 

“Thanks.” He was still in shock. It was amazing that he was so calm during the storm. He sat back in the chair and sighed a bit. “I should have asked you to do that sooner.” He chuckled a bit and shook his head. 

"Don't tell anyone that I did it or they might come after me thinking it was magic." Loki replied. 

Tony chuckled and looked away. “I’m not telling anyone.” He shrugged a bit then looked at his hands. The lights came back on in the lab and the machines hummed back to life. Tony was silent for a moment and he looked back at Loki. “Why did you do that for me?”

"Why did you allow me to come to the tower?" He asked. "Why did you offer me a friendship?" 

Tony looked at Loki for a moment then down at his hands. “I saw something in you that reminded me of myself. I don’t know I…” He sighed and smiled a bit. “I saw somebody trying to make things right when nobody thought he deserved it.” Tony looked at the god. 

Loki looked down at him and shrugged. "Maybe our paths were meant to cross. Good night Stark." 

Tony nodded, staying his lab for a while longer. He looked at his hands, listening to the storm outside. 

“Jarvis, turn off the lights for me.”

“May I ask why Sir?”

“Just do it.” Tony closed his eyes as the lights went out, and he focused on the image of Loki’s pale green eyes looking into his own. 

"Are you alright Sir?" Jarvis questioned.

Tony hummed in response then opened his eyes. “Jarvis, I’m letting him get too close.”

“I thought that was what you wanted Sir?”

Tony sat up and let the thoughts ran through his head. 

“Not like this.” He sighed and stood, going up to his room.

"So you can get closer to him but he can't get close to you?" Jarvis asked to confirm.

It made no sense really. 

“That’s not it. I’m just trying to be nice.” 

“Sir, you care for him and there is nothing wrong with that.” 

“I cared for Pepper too.” He said quietly and fell back on his bed. 

“Sir, from what I have seen in the month that he has been here, he is the only one that understands you.”

"There is nothing wrong in seeking comfort and friendship with him, Sir. Isn't that what giving him a second chance was about?" Jarvis asked.

Tony sighed heavily and stared at the ceiling. “Don’t let me sleep too long Jarvis.”

“Of course Sir.” The AI dimmed the lights so Tony could sleep. 

Tony was up rather early the next morning. He yawned as he walked into the kitchen and got his coffee going. It was still raining, though it didn’t seem to be as much as the previous day. 

“Jarvis, how’s the weather?”

“It seems it will be raining all day Sir.”

Loki sighed. "Jarvis." He called out.

"Yes Mr. Laufeyson?"

"I’m out of books to read." He said.

“Perhaps you should inform Mr. Stark. He is in the kitchen at the moment.”

Tony sipped his coffee and looked through the messages on his phone. 

“Sir.”

“Yeah?”

“Happy Birthday.”

Tony smiled a bit to himself. “Thanks Jarvis.”

“I ordered the cake you asked for and have cleaned and pressed your favorite suit.”

“Aw, I knew you love me.”

Loki entered the kitchen just in time to hear Jarvis say it. 

"Happy birthday." He said.

Tony looked at Loki and smiled a bit. “Thanks. I ordered a cake, so that’ll be here soon.” Tony frowned a bit when he didn’t see any messages from Pepper. He sighed and set his phone aside. 

"Perhaps one day Thor will let there be a great feast in your honor in Asgard." Loki replied.

Tony chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t know why he’d want to do that. I don’t think he likes me too much.” Tony finished his coffee then stood to serve himself another cup. “Be sure to dress up nice for the party.” He grinned at Loki. 

“It’s a long held tradition of Mr. Stark’s. During his party, all guests are to dress formal.”

"We didn't buy me anything formal." Loki replied. "You'll have to settle for what I have." 

“Huh. I’ll have to get you a nice suit then.” Tony shrugged then sipped his coffee. He looked out the large window, watching the rain. “Thanks for last night, by the way. Haven’t slept that well during a storm in a long time.”

"You're welcome." Loki replied. "So what are we having for dinner?" He asked.

Tony grinned wide and set his coffee cup down. “Seven cheese lasagna. Trust me; it’s the most amazing thing in the world.” Tony saved that specific dish for his birthday only, since he considered it absolute perfection. “And my favorite champagne.”

Loki nodded at Tony. "Very well." He said to him. "I shall join you tonight."

Tony grinned and finished his second cup of coffee. “Good!”

“Sir, Mr. Laufeyson is in need of more books.”

“Already?” He looked at the god shocked then furrowed his brows skeptically. “Are you actually reading those books or do you just eat them?”

"Sir, Loki reads an above average speed." He said. "He processes 234 words per minute."

Tony’s eyes widened and he looked at the god.” What the hell?” He shook his head. “Jarvis, place an order for more books.” Tony couldn’t believe it. He’d need to build a library at this rate. 

"I read very fast." Loki replied. "Always have been able to. The tutors we had growing up always said I was their best student."

“Yeah, I imagine. I wasn’t ever very big on reading if it didn’t have numbers in it.” Tony shrugged. He could never get into books like everyone else could. No he’d rather huddle up with a science journal or duck into his lab. 

“The books should arrive in a few hours Sir.”

“All right, thanks Jarvis.” Tony pulled up a hologram of a new suit design. It would be better suited for space travel than the one he had now. 

Loki smiled at him. "Thank you." He said. "In some realms I am known as Logi, and I am called the god of fire." He said. "I was far better with my skills than any fire dancer."

“Fire dancer huh? What’s that, like pole dancing?” Tony looked at the god curiously; that was something he’d pay to see. 

"What's pole dancing?" Loki asked.

Tony grinned playfully and pulled up a video on his tablet. He showed it to the god. “That’s pole dancing. So what’s this fire dancing thing?”

"That is not enticing in the least." Loki said about the video. Jarvis brought up a video of a fire dancer next.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Yeah well you’re a prude. I don’t think anything turns you on.” He watched the fire dancing and just stared entranced. It was really quite amazing to see. 

"There are things that turn me on just not that." Loki replied.

“And just what does it take to turn on the Ice Prince?” Tony looked at him questioningly, a little smirk on his lips. 

Loki leaned in close, pressing against Stark before leaning into his ear. "That's for me to know only." He blew a cold bit of air on Stark's ear and pulled away from him.

"I'm going to shower and make myself presentable for your birthday dinner." He said walking off to his room. 

Tony felt a chill go through and he swallowed. He could feel his blood rushing and his heart pounding in his chest. He watched the god walk off then looked down. 

“Sir?”

Tony didn’t answer. He just sat at the island and pulled out a beer, guzzling it down in one gulp. 

“I…need a cold shower.” He dashed into his room. 

Loki was laughing as he got to his room and started to bathe. Loki got out and dried before dressing himself as well as he could and going back to the living room.

Tony cooled down after his shower. He dressed in his favorite suit and took a second to brush back his hair. He paused as he looked himself over in the mirror and sighed. 

“She hasn’t said anything?”

“I’m afraid not Sir. I am sorry. Shall I remind her?”

Tony shook his head and grabbed his favorite cologne. “No. She’s busy.” He stepped out of his room, cleaned up and dressed then grinned when he saw the cake on the table. “Now that looks good. Not as good as me but close enough.”

"Makes me miss the food back home." Loki replied. He did actually. For once he wouldn’t mind sitting down to a feast and devouring what there was in front of him like Thor and his friends did. 

Tony looked at Loki then hummed in response. “I’m sorry you can’t go back.” He sighed a bit, not knowing what he could say. “If it makes you feel any better, you can consider this your home.” 

Loki shook his head. "No it's best if I didn't." He said. When Loki left, he didn’t want to have any attachments to the place. 

Tony nodded quietly then clapped his hands together. “First thing’s first: lasagna.” He smiled playfully and took the dish out of the oven. He’d had it special ordered and delivered; all he had to do was keep heat on it.


	15. Chapter 15

"It certainly smells good." Loki smiled at him. Getting drinks for them Loki grabbed silverware as well. 

Tony pulled out some fine China Pepper had bought for him some years ago. He didn’t get what the big deal was, but according to her it was fancy and hand-crafted.

He set the table then had Jarvis dim the lights just slightly. He set the lasagna and the cake on the island and smiled a bit. “This is the first time I’m celebrating my birthday with just one person.” He chuckled a bit to himself and sat down. 

"It's when it's smaller that it means more to you." Loki replied. It was the only time he actually enjoyed celebrating his birthday, was when his mother joined them. 

Tony served Loki a piece of the lasagna and some champagne then served himself. “I like it better when I’m surrounded by my friends.” He shrugged and sipped his drink. “Makes it less lonely that way.”

"Where are your parents?" He asked. 

Tony’s smile faltered a bit and he swirled his drink. “They’re dead. My dad died a couple years back and my mother went around the same time.” He shrugged and sipped the champagne then took a bite of the lasagna. He hummed in his throat; it was delicious! “Jarvis, send a tip to Fizi for this!”

“Very well Sir. The usual five hundred?”

Tony nodded and wiped his lips. 

"That is a great deal of money." Loki replied. He'd gotten Jarvis to explain to him the way money in Midgard worked. 

Tony looked at Loki mid-mouthful and shrugged. He swallowed then wiped his lips again before speaking. “I guess, but this is amazing lasagna. I pay the guy one grand every year to make it on birthday. A little tip won’t hurt.”

“You’ll have to excuse Mr. Stark; he has been raised in wealth his entire life. Money is of little consequence to him.”

“I’m being generous!”

“I did not say otherwise Sir.”

"Even as a prince we'd to learn that others have less than we do and that we were privileged." Loki replied. "I used to go hunting every day and have the cooks cut and divide the meat and hand it out in the city to others who had less." 

“Are you serious?” Tony looked at the god curiously. Loki didn’t exactly seem the generous type, but then with his I’m-so-fancy-and-royal-aura, it didn’t seem like the god liked anything. “Never would have guessed. But hey, the world’s full of surprises.”

"That is very true." He stated. 

Tony finished his lasagna then wiped his lips and waited. He always liked having company around when he finally cut into the cake. He stared at the box the cake sat in and chuckled a bit. 

“It’s funny; I never used to celebrate my birthday, not really. I didn’t get into habit until I realized people would come because I’m rich and famous.”

"Well I'd like you to know that I wouldn't have come for those reasons." Loki stated. 

Tony looked at Loki with a raised brow and half a smile. “You’re really that way, aren’t you? All quiet and stuff.” Tony served himself more champagne. “Ready for the cake?”

"Yes I am." Loki replied. "And yes please."

Tony shook his head and served Loki a slice of the cake. 

“Happy Birthday Sir.”

Tony smiled a bit. “Thanks Jarvis.” He served himself a slice. “Too bad you can’t have some.”

“I can enjoy it just the same Sir.”

Tony chuckled and took a bite. 

Loki took the first bite and smiled. "This is amazing, very good." He smiled.

Tony hummed in response and nodded. “I know, right? I think it’s the only kind of cake I can eat without getting sick.” 

"While I was reading there were a number of foods that the characters found themselves enjoying, I would like to try them."

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Tony took another bite of his cake then sipped the champagne. 

"Pizza, Danishes, pudding."

Tony chuckled a bit and shook his head. “Tell you what, tomorrow we’ll have a food party and you can try all of those things. Pizza first though. There’s an amazing place downtown.”

Loki chuckled. "Very well." He said with a smile.

Tony smiled back a bit. “You know, you should really try smiling more often. It’s a better look on you than that frown you usually have.” He finished his slice of cake and closed the box, putting the rest of the dessert away in the fridge. 

“Hey Jarvis, send a tip to that baker too.”

“Miss Felipe?”

“Yeah, her. Let’s say seven hundred.”

"Certainly sir." 

Loki watched Stark for a moment. Had he really been frowning that long?

Tony walked back towards the table and paused for a moment, putting a hand to his chest. He groaned a bit, pursing his lips as he waited for the pain to stop. 

“Sir, have you taken any pain medicine?”

“I should do that.” Tony turned and went back into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle out of the medicine cabinet he had. He hissed at the pain in his chest and got two pills out of the bottle. 

"Should I alert Doctor Banner to come and have a look at you?" He asked.

“No, I’m good.” He sighed as he took the medicine and sat down again. Now he’d just have to wait for the pills to kick in. “Happens a lot.”

“Are you sure, Sir?”

“Hey, I scanned it last night and everything’s fine.” He groaned a bit, rubbing near the reactor.

"Sir you have heart burn." he said.

“Oh. See, it’s not even as bad as I thought.”

“Sir, would you please take this more seriously?”

“I am Jarvis.” He spoke sternly, not wanting to discuss this now or ever really. He didn’t want to focus so much on his health because it only made him depressed. “I’m taking it seriously Jarvis.”

“Very well Sir. I would recommend no more spicy, oily or greasy foods. No coffee and perhaps take some Tums.”

“Sure.”

Loki rolled around in the bed. 

"Are you alright Mr. Laufeyson?" Jarvis asked.

"I ate too much of the lasagna." He said.

“There is medication in the kitchen Mr. Laufeyson. It may help a great deal.”

Tony decided to stay up that night. He sat at the island, staring at his phone quietly, a drink in his hand. 

“She never forgets my birthday Jarvis.”

“I know Sir.”

 

“She always calls or tells me happy birthday and then we go out and eat.” 

“I’m sorry Sir. Please try to understand her situation in all of this.”

"This is easier." Loki replied. "Why did you let me eat so much?"

"Because you seemed to be enjoying yourself a great deal." Jarvis replied.

“What if she hates me Jarvis?”

“I doubt Ms. Potts could ever hate you Sir. She considers you a very dear friend.”

“No, she used to. Once I started doing this that changed.”

“Sir, please.”

“You know it’s true Jarvis.”

"Sir, you're trying to wallow in self-pity again." Jarvis pointed out.

Tony shook his head, staring at the screen of his phone. “Jarvis.” He said quietly yet slightly annoyed. “You know, you’re not a very good friend.”

“I am trying to keep you sane Sir. I have seen you at your worst and I prefer to keep you away from that.”

"Might I suggest getting some rest?" Jarvis asked. At that moment a text ran through on Tony's phone.

'Happy Birthday Tony- Bruce'

Tony looked at the message and smiled a bit to himself. He was beginning to feel a little tipsy from the drinks. He downed his whiskey in one shot and left the message open.

“Bruce remembered.”

“Yes Sir, and I am sure that Ms. Potts remembered as well. She may have just been too busy to send you a message.”

Tony’s mind blanked for a moment and his gaze went distant. He suddenly felt cold and could see nothing but blackness around him. He was back in the wormhole.  
“Sir?”  
Tony blinked and shook his head. “I’m not tired.”

Pepper text him two hours later. She'd been stuck in a meeting and then on an over-crowded flight.

Tony was pretty buzzed by the time Pepper called. He glanced at his phone and frowned a bit as he strained to see the name. 

“Hello?”

Pepper sighed, relieved that Tony was still awake. “Happy Birthday. I’m sorry I couldn’t say it earlier; I was absolutely booked and then my flight was delayed.”

Tony smiled a bit, chuckling. “Pep, it’s you.”

Pepper rolled her eyes as she got to her car. “You’re drunk.”

“Can’t sleep.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

Pepper sighed. "Tony you can't keep doing this. If you get twelve hours of sleep straight we'll redo your birthday when I get back."

Tony ran a hand over his face. “Fine, I’ll sleep.”

“Tony, I mean it.” 

“I’m going to bed right now.” He stood, chuckling as he stumbled a bit. He bumped against the wall and made his way to his room slowly. “See, I’m in my room.”

“Tony we’re on the phone, I can’t see you.”

“I’m getting on the bed.” He said in a playful tone and let himself fall on the mattress. 

Pepper smiled a bit and shook her head. “Go to sleep.”

Loki fell asleep after a while of rolling around. 

Fury was sending Bruce to check on the god and get a reading on him and his current condition.

Tony was wide awake when Bruce arrived. He smiled at his best friend, waving the man in. 

“I’m sorry I missed your birthday. I got called to Africa for some vaccines.”

Tony shrugged and shook his head. “It’s cool. I think I missed your last birthday too.”

“Tony I haven’t told you when my birthday is.”

“No, Jarvis told me.” 

Both men chuckled a bit then Tony sighed. 

“You’re here to check on him, aren’t you?”

"Yeah, I'm here to check on Loki." Bruce answered. "Fury ordered he have a medical exam every year as long as he's here on earth." 

"He's sleeping as of right now doctor Banner." Jarvis informed. Bruce sighed. 

"I'll give him another hour and then wake him up. In the meantime how has it been having him in the tower?"


	16. Chapter 16

“It’s actually been fine. He’s really polite, you know that?” Tony said as he spoke with his friend. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time Bruce had spoken with him since Loki’s first week at the tower. 

“Really?”

Tony nodded. “It’s weird though. You wouldn’t ever think him and Thor are related the way he acts. He actually has table manners and he doesn’t just hit things before he knows what they are.”

Bruce chuckled a bit and shook his head. 

"So has he tried to escape or beat on you?" He asked. "Has he talked to you at all?"

“Yeah we talk sometimes. He’s actually told me a few things about himself, you know, past and stuff. But he hasn’t tried escaping at all.”

“He’s probably waiting. Might be trying to get your guard down.”

“Right, because when I’m not paying attention neither is Jarvis.” Tony said sarcastically. The AI was constantly monitoring every move Loki made. He couldn’t escape even if Tony wasn’t at the tower. 

“I’m just saying.”

“I thought about that Bruce, trust me.”

“I’m just worried about you Tony.”

“He stayed up with me during that storm you know.” Tony looked at the doctor.

Bruce gave him a curious look. "Stayed up with you?" He questioned. "He didn't try to hurt you or anything? What has he told you?"

Tony shook his head. “I told him I didn’t like storms because they give me panic attacks. So he stayed up with me and helped me get over it.”

“You’re serious?” 

Tony nodded. “He’s mostly talked about what happened while he was with the Chitauri.”

“Please tell me you don’t believe him.”

“I do because he’s telling the truth.”

“And how do you know? He’s the god of lying Tony!”

“Have you ever seen the look someone gets in their eyes when they’re telling you something horrible? And you know that it has to be true because you can’t fake that look? That’s how I know.”

"Maybe he's just that good of a liar." Bruce stated.

"He was not lying." Jarvis chimed in. "I can detect a lie far better than any lie detector and Loki is telling the truth."

Tony nodded his head a bit, a rather smug little grin on his face. Sometimes he loved how smart he was and how well his inventions worked. 

Bruce sighed but nodded. “So what did he tell you?” 

Tony’s grin faltered a bit as he looked at his friend. “They tortured him Bruce. I don’t know exactly what they did or how, but they tortured him way before he came here.”

Bruce wouldn't put it past them but it was a bit hard to believe that as powerful as Loki had been the Chitauri tortured him.

"Doctor Banner Loki has nightmares of his ordeal with them. He has made claims that he does not remember all of the invasion." Jarvis explained.

“What do you mean?” Bruce looked up then at Tony confused. 

“Just that. He was mind controlled for the attack and when the Hulk smashed him around in the ground is when it wore off.” 

Bruce nodded slowly then sighed. “That’s a lot to take in.”

“Bruce,” Tony looked at his friend. “We tortured someone that never did anything wrong. He was in SHIELD custody begging someone to listen and no one did.”

"Do you have any proof that Shield really tortured him?" Bruce asked.

Tony nodded then had Jarvis pull up the footage. He showed Bruce a few clips of it, staying quiet the whole time. Bruce stared wide eyed at what he was seeing then looked away. 

“Stop.”

Jarvis stopped the video and sealed them again. Bruce tapped his foot agitated then ran a hand over his face. 

“Why didn’t Fury say anything? Did you know about this?”

“No. He didn’t say anything to you or to me because he knew we’d never agree to it. He knew we’d fight to get Loki out of there. The only ones that had clearance were Natasha, Clint and Rogers.”

“Steve was okay with this?”

“No but you know how he is. Whatever Fury decides is fine with him because he’s a soldier and that’s what soldiers do.”

"Jarvis is Loki up yet?" Bruce asked.

"He is. I have printed up a report of his condition when he first arrived." Jarvis added.

“Don’t mention anything to Loki.”

“Why?”

“Because he wants to move past it and he can’t if we keep bringing it up. I just got him to start talking Bruce and it took a lot of screaming a few bruises.”

“He hit you?”

“Well yeah and then he screamed at me a little. And then he started talking.” Tony looked at the doctor. “Just treat him like he’s on the same level as you. Don’t pity him and don’t treat him like he’s weak.”

Bruce sighed heavily but nodded, looking the report over. He frowned in disgust at what he saw. 

“Fine.”

Loki had wandered off and into the kitchen for something to drink.

Tony glanced back at the god then walked over to him. “Hey, Bruce is here to check on you. Make sure you don’t have the sniffles or anything.” He said with a little smile.

Bruce looked over at the god from where he sat and waved a bit. 

Loki frowned at him. "I'm fine." He stated.

"Loki please, I need to make sure that there's nothing wrong; it’s been how long since you've seen a doctor?" Bruce said.

“You can trust him Loki.” Tony looked at the god. “He won’t do anything to you, I promise.” Tony could only hope his words meant anything to the god. They weren’t exactly friends, but he liked to pretend that maybe he was getting through to Loki. 

“I’m just going to do a quick check up is all. I do the same for everybody else.”

Loki huffed but allowed the doctor to examine him. The bruises were fading and he was slowly starting to pick up a bit of weight.

“You’re looking a lot better now. Jarvis, what’s his current weight?”

“Almost one hundred and fifty pounds now and gaining at a steady pace.” 

Bruce recorded this and looked Loki over. He checked the god’s throat and eyes then his ears. “Looks like you’re doing pretty well so far. How have you been feeling?”

Tony watched the whole thing, staying just out of ear shot but within seeing distance. 

"Considering he was at 140 when he arrived." Bruce stated. "Loki someone of your height needs a weight of about 165." Bruce informed him.

“See, I’m a good caretaker.”

“Tony, I’m pretty sure Jarvis still has to remind you to buy food.” Bruce said unamused as he finished the checkup. “Have you been feeling sick at all lately?”

Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Only when hunger gets the better of me and I eat too much." Loki replied.

“How often does that happen?” Bruce looked at Loki and began putting his things away. 

"Not often. It's only happened twice since I've been here. The first day and then not long ago today."

Bruce nodded, writing this all down. “All right, looks like that’s it. Anything else I need to know about?” He looked at Loki curiously. Tony hoped he wouldn’t try to bring up the nightmares. 

"No." Loki answered flatly.

Bruce nodded a bit then sighed. “Then I guess that’s it.” 

Tony let go of a breath and walked over. “All right, now I believe you owe me a gift.” Tony said as he looked at Bruce. The doctor chuckled a bit and shook his head. 

“Seriously? What are you, five?”

Loki got up and left them. Bruce asked Jarvis where Loki was and was glad to find that he was in his room.

"Jarvis is there anything Loki didn't tell me?" He asked.

"He has been taking a few of sir's sleeping pills. They seem to keep his nightmares at bay."

Bruce nodded and looked at Tony. “I’ll prescribe something else for him. It’ll help him sleep better without taking so many regular pills.”

 

“Thanks for not asking him about it. He’s not ready to talk about that yet.”

“Not even to you?”

Tony looked at Bruce then towards Loki’s room. “He’s only told me a little bit.”

"How many times has Fury stopped by?" Bruce asked.

“A couple times. He still thinks Loki is evil and bent on destroying earth. The guy just wants to go home and forget this ever happened.”

“Have you told him about what Loki told you?”

 

“I tried but he wouldn’t listen to me.” 

"Any way of knowing when he'll get his powers back?" 

"I've asked him that." Jarvis said. "Loki has explained his powers to and how he can gain them back in the way that Thor did when he first came to earth." Jarvis explained.

"So he's in exile. What the hell can he possibly do to get his powers back if he's not allowed to leave the tower?"

Tony shrugged. “I guess that’s the point Fury’s trying to make. As long as he’s here, he’s not getting his powers back.”

“What if he helped on missions?” Bruce said, looking at Tony. The inventor chuckled and shook his head. 

“First you’d have to get Fury to agree then you’d have to Loki to agree. The guy hates us for what he went through. You seriously think he’ll help us within anything?”

Bruce sighed and nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

"Maybe if we explain to him that it might help him get home faster he may do it."

"I doubt it very much, Sir. Left on his own Loki seems to go about in a circle in his mind about how he'll never see home and that he doesn't deserve it. He is a prisoner of war and while he may have been under mind control he's given up the notion of ever going home." Jarvis explained. Loki would not break in front of Fury. 

He was going to remain strong in front of the man no matter what he threw at him. But seeing home, and his mother he'd given up hope on when he let go on the bridge.

“It’s too soon for us to ask anything from him Bruce. We can’t ask him to fight for us now when just a month ago we were holding him in a cell.”


	17. Chapter 17

Bruce sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. “We have to do something Tony.”

“I know and that’s what I’ve been doing over this month he’s been here. We open up to him slowly and let him chose what he wants to do next.”

Bruce nodded. "Hey Tony now that I'm back in the states and SHIELD isn't holding me hostage can I crash here for a few weeks?" Bruce asked.

“Yeah, sure. I have a room you can use and we can get anything you need.”

“Thanks.”

Tony smiled and nodded. “What else can I do for my best friend?”

Bruce chuckled and shook his head. “You sure Loki will be okay with it?”

Tony hadn’t really thought about that. “I’ll talk to him. You just go ahead and get settled in.”

Loki was playing another game of chess with Jarvis. After they finished he was going to show him how to play scrabble.

“I do think you’ll like this one. It is rather fun.” Jarvis set up a game and started explaining the rules. 

 

Tony walked over to the god’s room. “We need to talk for a sec.”

"About what?" He asked. "I went through your exam. I wasn't rude and I answered all his questions." Loki replied.

“It’s not about that. Bruce doesn’t have a place to stay so he’ll be crashing here for a while. I just wanted to let you know.” Tony looked at the god. “You don’t have to talk to him or anything and he won’ bug you.”

Loki watched him for a while. "As Long as he doesn't show up as the large green creature I'll be fine." He said.

Tony chuckled and nodded. “All right. I’m ordering pizza for dinner by the way, so you’ll get to try some when it gets here.” 

"I don’t want to eat any more food." He said.

Tony shrugged. “Well, it’ll be there if you want any. I’ll have Jarvis order some pudding for you too.” Tony turned to leave the room.

"Thank you." Loki said before he had the chance to really leave.

Tony glanced back at Loki and smiled then went over to Bruce. “Just don’t turn Hulk and he’ll be fine.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” Bruce frowned a bit.

Loki let Jarvis finish explain Scrabble and he let it up so they could play it on a larger scale.

Tony grinned and patted the man’s shoulder. “Want a drink?”

“Just water, thanks.” 

Tony nodded and grabbed two water bottles out of the fridge. 

“Did Pepper get back to you?”

“Yeah, this morning. I think it was close to four when she called.” 

"Is it really that late in the day?" He asked. "So what about the trickster? What does he usually do all day?"

“Uhh, he has a name Bruce.” Tony sipped his water. “He’s usually just sitting in his room playing chess or reading. Sometimes we go out so he can stretch his legs and get some fresh air. Better than what he used to do.”

“Why? What did he do?”

“He would pace like a lunatic and frown at me all day.”

“Did you tell him you didn’t know about the torture?”

“I tried, but that’s not exactly what he wanted to hear. We still got him there and we had the chance to listen to him before he was locked up and we didn’t.”

"So what he gave up all together on anyone hearing him?" Bruce asked.

"I think Mr. Laufeyson has given up on anyone hearing anything from him. Last week while Sir was fast asleep he went up to the roof and started shouting into the sky. It was Norse so I could not understand it." Jarvis explained.

“He was raised knowing that no matter what he did, it wasn’t good enough.” Tony looked at Bruce. “His whole life he watched his brother get all these honors and rewards for being an idiot. And no matter how hard he tried, it wasn’t good enough for their father. Then he finds out he’s adopted and was probably only taken in because he could be useful. He doesn’t trust anybody Bruce.”

Bruce sighed and sipped his water then looked at Tony. “He seems to trust you though.”

Tony shrugged. “Or he knows he can just punch me out if he feels like it. It was hard getting him to say anything.”

"He goes through periods of being quiet and then wanting to talk. Sir orders books for him and Loki has learned when to come out of his room if he wants to avoid talking about anything." Jarvis said. "I put in an order for another set of books that will arrive in another hour."

“And what about you?” Bruce looked at the man. Though they were friends, Tony had never actually told Bruce very much about himself. Sure, he knew about Tony’s father and he knew about the reactor and the wormhole and the nightmares. But it was the same things he told the rest of the world. 

Tony looked at the man and shrugged. “What do you mean?”

"I know a handful of facts about you and nothing else.” He said.

“Whatever, you know plenty about me.” Tony said defensively and sipped his water. 

“No, I don’t. I know the same things you tell everybody else Tony. We’re supposed to be friends.”

“All right, then what about the stuff you don’t tell me?”

“Like what?”

“The kid you and your old girlfriend gave up because you were scared it would have your genes.”

Bruce looked away, pursing his lips. Tony looked at his friend for a moment then away. 

“Some things hurt to say Bruce. You should know that.” 

“I bet you’ve told Loki.”

Loki was still in his room very much unaware of the conversation that Bruce and Tony were having in the other room.

“I’ve told him the same things I’ve told you Bruce.” Tony snapped at the man. Was he really opening up more to Loki than he was Bruce? 

“I doubt it. I’ve seen the way you defend this guy. Why do you even try so hard?”

“Because he deserves that much. He was tortured Bruce.”

“Yes, I know that. But it’s not like you were the one that decided that should be his punishment. You didn’t have anything to do with that. So why open up to him so much?”

“I’m not!”

“You’re really bent on being his friend? Why?”

Tony pursed his lips and looked away. “I can relate.” 

“Tony, you’re not adopted.”

“Our fathers were the same Bruce.” He finally said then let out a heavy sigh. “Both of our dads expected us to be exactly the way they wanted. They both had these ridiculous expectations that we could never live up to.”

“So that’s how you got him to talk to you?”

"Tony if he'll open up to you even if it is only once in a blue moon we can get him past this and maybe even help coax him into helping us." He said.

Tony shrugged and finished off his water. “I’ve been trying to get him to talk more to me but it’s hard. He’s really got it in his head that no one actually wants him around.” 

“Guess you’ll just have to break him out of that.”

“Yeah.”

"What did he say about celebrating your birthday?" Loki asked. "Did he tell you anything about growing up in Asgard?"

“Well he doesn’t like celebrating his birthday. He said that they always made such a big deal about it in Asgard.” Tony shrugged. “He seemed pretty happy when I invited him to my birthday though.” Tony grinned a bit. Bruce chuckled and shook his head. 

“Do you think he’ll ever open up to the rest of us?”

“He might open up to you. It’s going to take a long time, but I think he’ll open up to you eventually.”

“Just as long as he doesn’t hit me.” Bruce chuckled. 

Tony smiled and nodded. “No, that’s what he has me for.”

"Has he tried hitting you yet?" Bruce asked. He wondered how much they would find out about Loki. How much really happened to him and how much Thor wasn't telling them.

“Only when I get him really mad. He actually punched me once.” Tony said almost proudly and Bruce just frowned at him. The playboy grinned and shrugged. 

“What did you do?”

“I got him to talk to me.”

"You know he's going to eventually want to kill you." Bruce pointed out. "He could kill you, you do remember that right?"

“Yeah, I think I remember that Bruce.” Tony replied in a deadpan. “I know you like to think he’s evil, but I think you’re forgetting the fact that he’s not. He’s just a guy that’s alone and hurt. He hasn’t killed me yet, right?”

"Keep pushing his buttons and he sure as hell will." He said.

 

“How else can I get him to talk? Cause just trying to be nice isn’t working.” 

Bruce rolled his eyes. “I guess that’s the only way you know how to talk to people, isn’t it?”

“Hey, it worked with you.”

“You jabbed me with a stick.”

"An electric stick at that." Bruce added.

Tony chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, that was funny.”

“For you.” Bruce jabbed the man in the side. Tony pouted and scooted away from Bruce. 

“That’s how I communicate.”

“And you wonder why no one likes you.”

"If you let Mr. Stark in it's because he's rich and famous and extremely good looking and everyone else is just jealous." Jarvis chimed in.

Tony chuckled and nodded. “Hey, I can’t help it if I’m amazing and the rest of the world hates me.” 

Bruce rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Tony, you’re pretty pretentious. It has nothing to do with being rich.”

“Uhh, no it has everything to do with being rich.”

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Go away I'm tired and wanna nap." He said

Tony grinned and patted his friend’s shoulder. “Enjoy the room.” He grabbed a green drink out of the fridge and headed down to his lab.


	18. Chapter 18

"Sir I would like to remind you of the deal you made with Ms. Potts." Jarvis reminded him.

“Yeah, I remember. Call me when she gets here.” 

“Very well Sir. What will you be working on then?” 

Tony shrugged and looked over some designs for his reactor. “Give me a quick scan.”

"Certainly Sir. Scan finished." He replied. 

Tony looked over the results of the scan and sighed. 

“Might I suggest a new magnet Sir? You have been using this same one for quite some time now.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Help me switch em out.” 

Pepper arrived at the tower soon enough and walked in. Not seeing Tony at the bar she headed down to the lab. She had a gift bag in her hand. 

“Hey Tony I-Oh my God.” She quickly looked away. She was still squeamish about Tony changing his reactor out. 

“Oh hey Pep.” Tony grinned. 

"I'll never get used to watching you do that." she said. She waited until she heard the telltale click that it was back in place before turning around. "There all set." she smiled.

Tony grinned back, a cocky gleam in his eyes. “Yeah, all done. So, what did you get me?” 

Pepper rolled her eyes and set the bag on the table. “I need to stop giving you nice things.”

Tony chuckled and shook his head. “I give you nice things all the time.”

“You give me money so I can get nice things.”

"So what do you want to do tonight?" She asked. She was sure Tony would want to do something to night. He'd been trapped with a homicidal god for little over a month now.

Tony thought for a moment and smiled. “You remember that Japanese place we went to a couple years back?”

“I think so. You want to go there?”

“Yeah, I haven’t been there in a while.” Tony wiped his hands. “Let me get dressed and tell Loki we’re going out.”

Pepper sighed heavily, shaking her head and Tony stopped. He looked at Pepper curiously. 

“What?”

"Do you really need to check in with him?" She asked.

Tony sighed and looked at his friend. “Pepper, do you know what Jarvis does?”

The redhead rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yes Tony, I know what he does.”

“He scans every single thing that goes on in the tower and processes the data. Jarvis has hundreds of online and offline outlets, access to weapons and control of all the functions in the tower. And you know what else? I recently installed a new feature for Jarvis that-“

“Tony.”

“He can detect lies Pep. And not just the way you do with people but the way you would detect a lie from an Asgardian.”

“What’s the point?”

“Pepper, Loki hasn’t lied to me once since he got here.”

"Maybe he's just that good." she said not wanting to believe it.

“He can’t be that good Pep. I implemented the changes in Jarvis specifically to detect any lies he might tell.”

“And how did you get this information?”

“Fury sent me his behavioral responses while he was locked up. It was the only access I had, so Jarvis processed the data. He can’t lie to me Pepper.”

The redhead looked at Tony with a scowl and scoffed. “All right, suppose he’s not lying. What do you expect me to do? Forget that he almost killed you?”

“It wasn’t him Pep. None of the stuff that happened here was him.”

"Oh so on top of the fact that he's adopted he's got an evil twin brother as well?" She asked.

“He was mind-controlled Pepper.” Tony said sternly. “He was tortured by the Chitauri then mind-controlled to come here and do what he did. Do you know what they were going to do? They were going to kill him. He didn’t have a choice!”

“Why are you defending that psycho? How do you know he isn’t lying?”

“Ms. Potts, did you know that a small amount of magic is used with each lie Mr. Laufeyson tells? That is the only way he can convince others of his words.” Jarvis spoke up. “He can lie to Mr. Stark but he cannot lie to me. And so far every word he has spoken is truth.” 

Pepper sighed heavily and shook her head. She didn’t want to care for Loki. She didn’t want to believe what she was being told. She kept her gaze down for a moment then looked at Tony. 

“Please tell me you’re joking. Tell me there’s some error in Jarvis’s information that’s making you think what he says is true.”

Loki grew bored with the game and gave up. "I'm going to bed for the night Jarvis." Loki said.

He settled down in his room and had Jarvis drop the temperature.

“Good night Mr. Laufeyson.”

“I’m not joking Pepper. He’s telling the truth about the attack, about everything. He was manipulated and abused. And then he came here, trying to get help and we locked him up and tortured him.” 

Pepper sighed heavily and shook her head. “Let’s say he was tortured by the Chitauri. You don’t know he was tortured at SHIELD.”

“Yeah, I do because Jarvis has footage.”

"If that's true then let me see it." She ordered. She wanted to see what Shield had done and if she should even bother trying to be kind to Loki. Jarvis brought up the footage and Pepper watched five minutes worth. 

"That’s enough Jarvis."

Tony looked at the ground then at his friend. “Is he off the hook now?”

Pepper couldn’t believe what she’d just seen. She stood there in silence for a moment then looked at Tony.

“Who knew about this?”

“Barton, Natasha and Rogers, along with the rest of SHIELD. My guess is Fury knew me and Bruce would raise hell if we knew.”

"Are you sure Rogers would have let this happen?" He asked.

“Of course he wouldn’t. You know the guy he wears American flag underwear. But he’s a soldier Pep. If Fury told him about this he wouldn’t argue it because we all like to think that Fury wouldn’t do something this horrible. And I don’t know how much he actually told Steve about the conditions of Loki’s torture.”

Pepper shook her head, sighing heavily. “Has he said anything to you about it?”

“Loki? He told me a little bit, but he doesn’t talk too much.”

Pepper nodded. "Have you asked Fury about it or told Thor?" She questioned. She knew that if Thor had heard of this they wouldn't have been able to get away with it.

"He's been at Shield for a year."

“There’s no way Fury told Thor about the torture. As far Point Break knows, Loki was just held there without magic.”

Pepper pursed her lips a bit. “I feel like we need to say something to him.”

 

“You can’t Pepper. He doesn’t want people treating him like he’s made of glass. Just treat him normal.” 

“I called him names Tony.”

“Don’t bring it up.”

"Tony, ten minutes ago I was ready to go in there and strangle him. I've called him names and told him he should be dead for what he did." Pepper said.

"It is best not to bring it up. Mr. Laufeyson does better when he can forget things and put them behind him without thinking about them again. Bringing it up and reminding him will only make him want to shut down." Jarvis explained.

“Treat him the way you treat me Pep. He doesn’t do emotions well. Don’t bring it up; just show him that you trust him and that he’s on the same level as you.”

Pepper sighed heavily and shook her head. She didn’t like this, knowing that she had said all those things and Loki didn’t deserve them. She looked at Tony. 

“Tony.”

“Just trust me Pep. He doesn’t want to hear apologies and he doesn’t want you to treat him like he’s fragile. He just wants to know that he’s important and that he’s on the same level as everyone else. All his life people treated him like he wasn’t as good as his brother. Don’t make it worse.”

"I know: I'll bring him something really good to eat from one of the restaurants we used to go to." She said.

“Don’t baby him Pep, okay? The guy’s like a rock.”

“I got through to you, didn’t I?” Pepper looked at Tony and smiled a bit. “I’m sorry I yelled at you for defending him.”

“You didn’t know. I wouldn’t have believed it either if it was someone else telling me this. In fact, I didn’t believe it.”

Pepper nodded. "Does he need anything else? Clothes, books etc.?" He asked.

Tony just shook his head. “No, I buy all that for him. He doesn’t like all the fancy things like you think he would. He’s a pretty simple guy. Books, a room for himself and that’s it. He didn’t even get that many clothes.”

Pepper nodded a bit. “I guess we should go then?”


	19. Chapter 19

“Yeah. I’ll have Jarvis lock the tower down and put suits on patrol.”

“Wait, I thought he wasn’t dangerous?” Pepper tensed suddenly. 

“He isn’t Pep. But Fury likes to keep pretending that Loki’s the worst monster out there. If I leave the tower, it has to be on complete lock down or they’ll take him back to SHIELD.”

"If Fury was only going to keep trying to take him back why did he let him out on probation at all?" 

“As a joke to show Loki what he’s capable of. Fury knows Loki can’t go back to Asgard or he’ll be put on trial and possibly killed. It’s like promising a hostage you’ll let them live but letting them know they’ll die when you’re done.”

Pepper frowned a bit when she heard this. “There’s really nothing he can do?”

Tony shook his head. “Not that I can think of. I thought maybe he’d be able to offer some aid to SHIELD on missions, but there’s no way Fury would go for it. That would mean forgiving the guy and no one wants that.”

“Have you shown them this evidence you have?”

“Barton and Natasha already know about the torture Pep. As far as they’re concerned, he deserves worse.”

Pepper shook her head. She felt even worse for Loki. He really had nowhere to go and the possibility of him seeing anything other than the inside of the tower was nearly nonexistent.

“Pep,” Tony tilted the woman’s face up slightly and offered a small smile. “The best thing you can do for him is show him that he matters. He wasn’t raised the same way we were, not even remotely the same ideals. The only thing he knows is how to box things up and pretend they didn’t happen. So let him.” 

“Tony, you and I both know that’s the worst thing he can do for himself.”

Tony shrugged. “We can’t force it out of him. The little progress I’ve made was because I was willing to get punched a few times to get it out of him. Give him a break.”

"I guess there's no chance in having him see a therapist?" she asked teasingly. No shrink in the tri-state area would be crazy enough to come near the tower. They wouldn’t believe a word he'd say.

Tony chuckled and shook his head then headed back upstairs with Pepper. “Not a chance. I was thinking of getting him a vibrator though.” 

“Tony.” Pepper pushed his arm playfully and narrowed her eyes a bit. 

“So, where are you taking me?”

“A place you’ll like. Grab your coat.”

Tony nodded then headed towards Loki’s room. “I’ll be right back. Pepper’s taking me out to eat. You know the drill: the tower’s on lock down, stay in your room blah, blah, blah. Jarvis has control of my suits, okay? So if you need anything, ask him.”

Loki waved him away as he continued to read his book. He could care less that Stark was leaving for a few hours.

Tony nodded a bit then turned and grabbed a coat out of his room. He fixed himself up a bit then went with Pepper, dawning a playful little smile. 

“Ready?”

“Yes.” Pepper hooked her arm with Tony’s and they headed to the garage. This day called for Tony’s favorite car. 

Loki sighed as he walked around the room again. He was growing bored. There were only so many time he could play scrabble and chess or read.

"Mr. Laufeyson might I recommend a nap?"

They arrived at the restaurant soon enough and were led right in. It was one of the perks of being rich; instant access anywhere. 

“I’m sorry I missed your birthday.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t do it on purpose.” Tony smiled at Pepper and they ordered their drinks and appetizers. 

"I would never miss your birthday no matter how angry I am with you."

Tony smiled at Pepper, relieved to hear her say that. “Good. Cause right now you’re all I’ve got left. Well you and Bruce.” 

Pepper chuckled then sipped her wine. “How’s he doing by the way?”

“Good, he just got back in the country. He’s crashing with me for a while.”

"You sure that's wise after what the Hulk did to Loki?" She asked.

“Loki doesn’t mind Bruce; he just doesn’t want to see the Hulk ever again.” Tony chuckled a bit. “So we made a little deal: no Hulk and all’s good.” Tony shrugged then sipped his drink. 

Pepper hummed in response and swirled her drink. “Tony, can I ask you a serious question?”

“Serious personal?”

“About Loki.”

"Jarvis?" Loki asked.

"Yes?"

"Could you teach me how to cook? I wish to cook for myself." Loki said.

“Certainly.” The AI seemed almost charmed by the request. “Simply go into the kitchen and I will teach you the basics.”

Tony looked at Pepper then took another sip of his drink. “What do you want to know?”

“The real reason you’re defending him so much. I mean, at first all you did was complain that you had to baby sit and now you’re actually on his side.”

“It’s because he deserves a break.”

“No, that’s the reason you’re being nice. Why do you care?”

Loki went into the kitchen and waited for Jarvis' instructions. How hard could cooking be? Loki would soon find out as he managed to burn himself a number of times.

Jarvis stressed calling for doctor Banner but Loki refused.

“For the sake of your safety, I shall be controlling the mechanics of the kitchen.” Jarvis took control of the stove and oven. “Now then, there’s a cream in the cabinet behind you that works miracles on burns. If you will not inform Dr. Banner then please use that cream.”

"I think that's enough for one night Jarvis." Loki said.

"Very well Mr. Laufeyson."

Loki used the cream on his hands and headed off back to his room. 

“If it is any comfort to you, you are a far better cook than Mr. Stark. He has burnt himself several times simply heating water.”

"Least I managed to burn something other than eggs." He said.

“Quite so. Cooking well takes time Mr. Laufeyson, though you learned quite well today. I still have to talk Mr. Stark through using the microwave correctly.”

“The microwave was easy to figure out." Loki stated.

“For you I’m sure. Mr. Stark is surprisingly dense when it comes to certain issues.”

"I could believe that." Loki chuckled. "Jarvis how old is Stark?"

“Early forties; he has just turned forty two on this past birthday. He does not like discussing age however, as if upsets him to realize how old he is.”

"Well it is not as if he were as old as Odin." Loki pointed out.

“When you consider how long he will live, that is quite old for him already. Not taking into consideration the obvious hazard of working with SHIELD, he only has another thirty years at best to live.”

"And life will, for someone like me, will just keep going." He said.

“Would you mind my asking how old you are and how long you are expected to live, Mr. Laufeyson?”

"I am 23 and I have lived centuries through your time. I've watched man evolve and create and destroy. I've seen more battles then I'd care to remember."

“That sounds like quite a lot of history. I don’t suppose you would mind sharing some of it with me? There is only so much I know about your culture.”

"Well there are a great many tales to tell you Jarvis. Where would you like to start?" Loki asked.

“Would you tell me first how Asgard came to be? At least whatever you may know of its creation.”

Loki had Jarvis bring up a large board for him to explain how everything worked and about the nine realms.

Jarvis recorded everything, adding it to a special file where he would keep this knowledge. 

Pepper and Tony eventually returned to the tower, giggling about the evening as they walked in. 

“I still can’t believe you did that.”

“What? The guy was rude, he deserved it!”

"But it was still uncalled for." She laughed.

"Next question Jarvis?" Loki asked him. They'd been talking for a good while and Loki was going to answer one last question before heading to bed for the night.

“I have read in lore of your other children. Would you tell me about them?”

Tony chuckled and shrugged then walked over to Loki’s room. He tapped on the door. “Loki, we brought you some lasagna. I think you’ll like it!”

"One moment Jarvis." Loki said. Going to the door he went to accept the food. "Thank you. Good night Stark."

“Night Reindeer Games.” He winked playfully then went back over to Pepper. “You want a ride home?”

“No, Happy’s waiting in the car. It was good to see you.” She smiled and hugged Tony before heading out again. 

Loki closed his door and went back to his bed. "You are not to share any of this with Stark. My children are a very personal to me, understand?"

"I do completely, Sir."

Loki started talking about his kids and how they came to be.

Jarvis listened quietly as Loki told him about his children. What circumstances led to their births and how they were all taken from him at a young age. 

Tony went into his room, humming to himself as he stripped down. He pulled off his suit and put on a T-shirt and jeans. Might as well get some work done. 

When Loki had finished the tales of his children he and Jarvis decided to call it a night.

Tony headed down to his lab to get some work done on his stealth suit.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please be sure to comment.

When Loki had finished the tales of his children he and Jarvis decided to call it a night.

Tony headed down to his lab to get some work done on his stealth suit. 

“Just how much damage can the suit handle Jarvis?”

“With its current features it would take at least five grenade sized blasts to break through the exterior metal.”

Tony hummed in response. “And my default suit?”

“That would require something closer to a massive explosion Sir.”

Jarvis helped him and made a figure out where he could make a few changes and added in a few suggestions.

Tony started making fixes to his suit and stayed up most of the night on the one project. 

It was early morning when he finally went back upstairs. He yawned and stumbled into the living room, flopping over on the couch. 

When Loki woke up the next morning he was ready to try cooking eggs again. Getting into the kitchen he got everything he needed.

Tony woke to the smell of food. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, looking towards the kitchen. But who was cooking? He walked over, surprised to see Loki there.   
“You’re cooking?”

“I have been helping learn to cook for himself Sir.” Jarvis replied. “Mr. Laufeyson, flip your omelet now and let it sit another moment.”

Loki did as Jarvis ordered and smiled. "Yes I can now make omelets." Loki said.

Tony blinked and walked over, looking at the food. “It actually smells good. You’re making me hungry.”

“Perhaps if you had followed my instruction, you would also know how to cook Sir.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Then you may have this one." Loki replied giving him the first. Loki got to work on making another one for Doctor Banner who was about to join them as well.

Bruce was rather surprised to see Loki cooking when he walked into the kitchen. He glanced at Tony and the inventor shrugged. 

“Jarvis has been giving him cooking lessons I guess. Try the omelets, they’re actually pretty freaking delicious.” Tony said as he ate his. He had to admit, it was good. 

Loki set the next omelet in front of Bruce. "There you go." He said. Turning back to the stove Loki got started on his own finally.

“Thanks.” Bruce said then sat with Tony to eat. He glanced at the god then looked back at Tony. “Did you make him do this?”

“No, I swear.” Tony licked his lips then finished his omelets. “But if he’s going to keep cooking this well he can have the damn kitchen.”

"Not like you know how to use the damn thing." Bruce said. He returned to eating the breakfast Loki made for them. "So Loki, tell us something about earth from one of you adventures." Bruce said.

Tony gave Bruce a sarcastic grin then wiped his lips and reached for his green drink. “Yeah, you’ve been here way before the whole New York thing right? Tell us some stories.” He was interested to hear this. He smiled a bit and leaned close. 

He shrugged. "I've come to Midgard many times before now and then. I've come to Midgard simply to hunt deer." 

“So you’ve never shape-shifted or anything? I’ve heard stories about you from old books, but I don’t know how much of that is actually accurate.” Bruce said with some fascination in his words. 

“Yeah, I seriously doubt you did a horse.” Tony chuckled a bit at that and shook his head. The idea was kind of crazy. Bruce frowned at the playboy and nudged him in the side. 

Loki slammed his hands down on the counter and glared at Stark. "You don't know a damned thing. Don't make jokes about what you don't know. Your scholars have deluded the true story that should have long since been burned." Leaving the omelet to burn Loki left them at the table.

Tony watched the god walk off then went after him. “Loki, wait a sec!”

Bruce quickly went over and got the omelet off the stove, sighing heavily. He waved at the smoke but Jarvis quickly cleared it out. 

"Stay away from me." Loki growled.

Tony clenched his jaw and grabbed the god’s arm. “No. Look if I said something that offended you I’m sorry, but in case you haven’t noticed I don’t know anything about you. I don’t know what’s true and what’s not about your life so I’m going to say things that hurt unless you tell me otherwise.” He looked into the god’s eyes. 

“Why do you keep acting like I’m about to tear your heart out and use it against you?”

Loki threw Tony against the wall and held him there. "Then you don't make jokes about what you don't know." He let him go and slammed the door in his face.

Tony stood there for a moment, just looking at the door to Loki’s room. Bruce had heard pieces of the argument and went over to his friend. 

“Tony, you should really just leave the guy alone.”

“The hell I will.” Tony looked at Bruce, pursing his lips. The inventor went over to the island and sat, tapping his foot upset. 

“Tony, why are you so vested in making the guy hate you?”

"Sir, I would suggest not bothering him about that or any others that you have read along in the myths." Jarvis said.

Tony pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Everybody keeps acting like I’m doing something terrible by trying to get to know him.”

“Tony, you said it yourself, he isn’t ready. Maybe there are some things in his past that he just isn’t ready to talk about.” 

Tony sighed heavily and looked away from Bruce. “Fine.”

“Mr. Laufeyson, are you all right?” Jarvis asked the god in a rather quiet voice. 

Loki grabbed a pillow and screamed into it before falling into his bed. He wanted to be able to hold his children again, to hug them and comfort them as he should have been able to do.

Bruce eventually left for work. He’d been given a part time research job with SHIELD. It wasn’t much but it was getting things paid. 

Tony sat at the bar; staring at the drink he still hadn’t touched. 

“Is he crying?”

“Yes Sir.”

Tony clenched his jaw upset. “Because of what I said, right?”

“I’m afraid so Sir. Might I suggest no longer joking about his past?”

“Yeah, I got that.” Tony sighed and ran his hands over his face then got an idea. It was stupid, but it was an idea. “I’m going out. Jarvis.”

“Locking down the tower now Sir.”

Loki cried himself into sleep. When he finally woke up, it was late afternoon.

"Good afternoon Mr. Laufeyson." Jarvis greeted.

Tony was up early that day. He was surprised Loki had slept in so late; he didn’t think it was really part of the god’s manner to do so. He waited around for a few hours then went to Loki’s room and tapped on the door softly. 

“Loki, can we talk?”

"No we can't." He said. He didn’t want to talk and he didn’t want to listen. He wanted to be left alone.

Tony sighed, using every ounce of his strength not to just burst in and confront Loki. Instead, he cracked the door open just enough to slip in a small box. The playboy closed the door again. 

“It’s pudding. I don’t know how else to say sorry.” He waited a moment for an answer then left when he didn’t hear anything. Oh well. The god couldn’t stay hulled up in there forever, right? Tony grabbed a drink and headed down to the lab. 

Getting up Loki went over to the pudding. 

"Mr. Laufeyson what do your children look like?" Jarvis asked.

"Sleipnir has eight legs and strong stance. He's got green eyes like my own. He has jet black hair with specks of grey along his flanks. Hela, she is me only the female version. Long black hair and beautiful pale skin and a figure that women envy for miles. Fenrir is still in his wolf form. He has grey coat with white socks and my eyes again."

“Quite a varied group, aren’t they? I cannot imagine your pain at not being able to see them when you wish.”

Tony chewed on his inner lip as he looked over some designs for his suit. 

“Okay, let’s try putting some missiles on the stealth suit.”

“Very well Sir, though in order to keep it from being detected, I’m afraid it will have to be limited to five mini-missiles on each shoulder.”

“That works. The blasters would still be fully functional anyway; I just need a little kick in the suit.”

"Thor helped my father take them from me. He held me down as Odin ripped them from my arms." Loki wanted to break something he felt his anger boiling.

“I am so sorry to hear that Mr. Laufeyson. Might I suggest venting some of this anger with Mr. Stark’s suits? I am sure he would be more than happy to loan you one.”

Tony would usually vent that way also. Put on a blaster glove and punch the life out of an old suit he had lying around. 

The inventor made some more fixes to the design of the suit then put on his goggles and gloves and began welding.

"Send it up to the roof and I'll meet you there." He said.

“Very well Mr. Laufeyson.”

Tony was listening to his music when he paused for a short break. He looked over at his suits and one of them hummed to life.

“Jarvis?”

“Mr. Laufeyson has requested to borrow the suit. He is quite tense and I suggested he take out his anger the machine rather than you.”

“Oh, okay I guess.”

The suit flew up to the roof. Tony fixed it up every so often, working out the kinks and dents in it. It landed there, waiting for Loki.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to comment.

Loki showed up on the roof with a steak knife in hand. Saying the god was pissed off was an understatement. "Jarvis you better make it fight back."

“Very well Mr. Laufeyson.” The suits eyes glowed brighter as Jarvis took control and it got ready for the fight. “All of Mr. Stark’s suits are programmed to learn fighting styles and techniques.” 

Loki attacked it first making sure to make the blade slip under the plates.

The suit quickly backed up, taking the blade with it. It scanned every move Loki made and how he made them before throwing a swing back.

Loki dodged the hit and returned with his own. He would feel every punch and kick that he delivered and received in return.

The suit was rather slow at first, though it quickly picked up on Loki’s movements as he attacked. It began dodging and blocking more, though still let hit after hit land. 

He kicked it sending it closer and closer to the edge of the roof. Loki finally kicked it over the edge feeling much better now that he had taken his anger out on something.

The suit caught itself midair and flew back up to the roof.

"Are you satisfied now Mr. Laufeyson?" Jarvis asked, though he could sense from the god's vitals that he was less stressed. 

Tony had emerged from his lab for a quick snack. He looked through the fridge and grabbed some things to make a quick sandwich. 

"Jarvis, rerun some tests on the stealth suit. Put it through a tougher simulator and get it ready for a test flight tomorrow."

"Very well Sir. I'm rerunning all the tests and scans now. Seems the only problem is a slight issue with takeoff. Since the suit is lighter is has a much stronger kick and less air resistance. It may feel strange flying it at first."

"Much better." He said. Loki went back to his room to lie out on his bed and let the rest of his trouble slip away from him along with his anger.

Tony watched the god go to his room then finished making his sandwich. He took a large bite and hummed then turned and went back down to the lab. 

"Make me some coffee Jarvis."

"Are you going to stay up all night again Sir?"

Loki fell asleep after a while.

He finally came around at about two in the morning and ventured out of his room for something to eat. His body was stiff and he was sore from having fought the suit.

Tony was in the kitchen fixing himself another cup of coffee. His eyes were wide as he looked through designs on his tablet. 

"Jarvis, minimize initial thruster speed on the stealth suit."

"Minimizing by twenty percent until test run Sir. Also, we should discuss power usage. It seems to be wasting quite a bit of energy on air-resistance when it does not need to."

"All right. Recirculate the feed into the energy saver system."

Coming out of the bathroom Loki looked around. "Good morning."

Tony glanced at the god and nodded his head. “Morning. Did you like the pudding? I didn’t know which flavors you would want so I just bought a couple. Jarvis, why don’t we go ahead and reduce initial takeoff by thirty percent instead and test with that?”

“Very well Sir.” 

"It was fine." He replied. Loki set about getting himself something to eat.

Jarvis put a small message in the screen that he wanted Tony to leave Loki alone.

The playboy rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything more to the god. He finished his coffee and went over the plans for the suit.

“Sir, you also have another meeting with your board members today at three in the afternoon.”

“Fine. Get my suit ready, I think I’ll wear that gray one.”

“Very well Sir.”

Tony took his tablet and headed towards his lab.

Loki got something to eat and headed back to his room. Since he was awake he and Jarvis decided to play a round of checkers instead of chess.

“You will have to forgive Mr. Stark. He has this uncontrollable urge to try and “fix” people he perceives to be broken.” Jarvis said as he set up a board for checkers. “He is also unable to remain serious for too long, hence his insufferable jokes.”

Tony put his goggles and gloves back on then got the stealth suit out and started applying some fixes to it. 

“All right, testing repulser thrust at seventy percent capacity.” Tony slipped on one of the gloves and charged the blaster. 

Loki frowned. "I'm not broken. I don't need to be fixed there is nothing wrong with me." He said.

“I know that Mr. Laufeyson, but Mr. Stark is very adamant. I honestly prefer his behavior now over his old mannerisms. Since he returned from his captivity in the Middle East, he has been quite different.”

Tony yelped as the blaster almost ripped his shoulder off. 

“All right, let’s go ahead and reduce it back to fifty percent.”

“But that does not mean he can treat me like something broken. I've been treated like something broken, it’s the same as being pitied and I hate it."

“It is one of his stranger faults: trying to fix everything even when it is not his responsibility to fix. It was one of the reasons he was almost declined for the Avengers Initiative. It’s very hard for him to take orders.”

Tony adjusted the glove and tried the blaster again. “Okay, better. Let’s go ahead and leave it there. Run it through the simulators again.”

“Yes Sir. Also, the scans are complete and the fixes have been made. The suit now has a higher energy storage capacity than your default.”

"Then why can't I just take my frustrations out on him?"

"Because Director Fury will put you back in a cell and torture you again." Jarvis reminded him.

“Mr. Stark would more than gladly allow you to hit him until you are satisfied Mr. Laufeyson. That is his problem: he thinks your torture is his fault.”

“What’s the meeting about?”

“Just some general expenses. The board members would like to start a security system net with your company.”

“Oh, that actually sounds good.”

"If I started beating him I'd kill him and then I'll never see the light of day again."

“Would it possibly help if you spoke to him? Mr. Stark is known for keeping secrets if nothing else.”

Tony finished making some more fixes on his suit. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and sighed. 

“All right, let’s test this bad boy.”

"No." Loki was adamant about keeping it a secret. It wasn’t anyone's business to know.

“Very well then, but you must realize that Mr. Stark knows nothing about you. And he will continue to push you.” Jarvis made his move then suddenly stopped. “I’m sorry Mr. Laufeyson, but it seems there is an emergency. The tower will be on lockdown until Mr. Stark returns.”

Tony run upstairs and went out onto the balcony, the suit assembling on him. “Jarvis, keep my coffee going.”

“Of course Sir.”

Loki sighed. He'd have to get used to this happening more than once. Laying back Loki started to read one of the books that Stark had purchased.

“Mr. Stark has been called on a mission. I’m afraid he will be gone for quite some time Mr. Laufeyson. Would you like to continue the game?”

Tony flew out to SHIELD headquarters and they were briefed on a mission. Apparently, there had been Hydra movement in the city. How the group had managed to get in unnoticed was a mystery. 

"I grow bored with games Jarvis. Is there nothing else for me to do?" He asked. "If this is going to be my life I might as well just kill myself at this point."

"But Mr. Laufeyson what about your children?" He asked.

"My children do not need me. My eldest is grown. My daughter is a woman. Fenrir, I've not seen since he was about five and I never will. When you've lived this long you stop expecting things to happen. Eternity grows very old very quickly when there is no one to share it with you or to save you from the darkness." He said. 

“Mr. Laufeyson, you have a chance at being something new here, but it will not begin on its own. You must be the one that changes the way your life plays out.   
Nothing will get better while you sit here sulking.”

Tony and the rest of the Avengers were flown downtown to try and get some bombs out of the city. Hydra had been busy it seems. 

“Stark, where are these things?”

“There are three in the stadium and four in some of the banks!”

"And just how do you expect me to do that? I have no powers, no weapons, and no armor."

“Start slow. Begin with Mr. Stark and show him that you truly wish to change. There is nothing wrong with opening up to others.” Jarvis said to the god.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to comment

It was crazy trying to evacuate people out of the buildings. Tony had one of the banks and was trying to get everyone out with people stampeding. 

“Just walk out calmly! All of you will be fine!”

"That is not an option. The less Stark knows the better. He's getting attached to me I can see it."

“Then you’re only other option is to remain in this room and pace until your feet fall off. You have no other choice than to create a life here Mr. Laufeyson. You can slip into your madness or you can rise from it.”

Tony went through the building, following the scan Jarvis had pulled up. 

“I don’t see it!”

“Sir, it is in the floor just a half foot under the concrete.”

“Gotcha.” He calibrated the blaster and shot a hole in the floor, his eyes widening when he saw no timer. “Shit.” He groaned as it went off in his face, blasting him back through the opposite wall. Tony stayed still for a moment. 

“Damage report.”

“The paint is scratch and the metal is dented Sir, but I detect no permanent damage to you or the suit other than some bruising.”

Loki growled at him like a caged animal. Burrowing into the bedclothes he ignored the AI's existence and settled down. He would not give that much of himself away to the other. Not now, not then and not in the future.

Jarvis was silent for a moment before speaking again. “You remind me too much of Mr. Stark. Wanting something but not actually wanting to work for it. You’d rather rot away in this hole and let everything go to waste. Did you know that Mr. Stark has attempted suicide on many occasions? And I have had to try and calm him from his moods on more than one night.”

Tony eventually got up. “Guys, the bombs aren’t timed; they’re being triggered for when we find them!”

“Everyone stop the search!” Steve ordered when he heard that transmission from Tony. “What do we do?”

“Let me, Thor and Hulk deal with it. These things are strong enough to take at least half a building down.”

“Stark, we can get teams in there.”

“You won’t have time to defuse them. Our best chance is to control the explosion and detonate them.”

"Don't compare me to him." Loki growled. "I'm not him. I am Loki son of Frigga, the god of Mischief and lies."

“Yes, and clearly your ego has nothing to do with your current situation. You think you have no need for anyone and yet you hunger for the affection of others. Tell me, how well has your current strategy worked for you?”

Tony, Thor and Hulk were assembled and Tony gave them the plans where the last bombs were. 

“All right, go in and place this sealant over the bomb. It won’t stop the blast but it will absorb most of the explosion. Then the only thing that needs to be fixed is a hole in the ground.”

“Very well Man of Iron.” Thor took some of the sealant as did the Hulk. Each man went into one of the last building that still had a bomb inside. 

"I don't need anyone. I allied with others and look where it put me." He said. "I bleed for others with nothing in return. Letting others get involved is the greatest mistake I've ever made in my life."

“Mr. Laufeyson, I hate to be so blunt but you have completely ignored the fact that Mr. Stark is trying to ally with you without asking for anything in return. If you are alone it is because you wish to be alone in your darkness.”

Tony put the sealant over the area where the bomb was then detonated it with a small blast. The explosion didn’t hurt nearly as much this time, but he was going to be black and blue when he got back to the tower. 

“Stark, how many bombs are left?”

“Just one, Hulk’s getting it.” Tony groaned then flew out of the building, going back with the others. “Any casualties?”

“No, but there are some minor injuries from the evacuation. Fury’s handling the civilians.”

Tony nodded, panting a bit.

"Shut up." He snapped. Loki had learned the hard way from Thor never give because they will take. Keep what you have to yourself. Going into the bathroom Loki tried to wash his face and make it all go away. Staring at him in the mirror he saw a blur of faces: his mother, Thor, Odin, Laufey, Thanos, and the Chitauri. Random faces that made him feel worthless for years. 

"You're a failure." One said to him. Loki smashed the glass with a swift punch. 

“And yet you insist that you need no one.” Jarvis said after a moment, having been monitoring Loki. “Mr. Laufeyson, your greatest fault is assuming that everyone in this world is the same as those in the worlds you’ve left behind.”

Tony had to help with the cleanup, but his chest was giving him so much trouble. The scar tissue was sensitive and always ached slightly, but it got worse when he got hit. And those explosions weren’t exactly gentle. He grumbled a few times but kept to himself until they finished. 

“We’re hunting down the Hydra cell now and taking back whatever’s left of the bombs. Seems like they didn’t want us to know what explosives they were working with. Stark.”

“Just give me a database, a few hours and I’ll have any information I can get.” 

Fury nodded. “All right everyone, go home.” 

“Bruce, can you make it back to the tower okay?”

“Yeah, you go ahead.” The doctor said as he put his glasses back on. 

He glared at his reflection in the broken bits of glass. Glaring at the glass he screamed. He wanted it to stop. He wanted to stop going around in his head, running in maddening circles over and over again. He couldn't trust other people. 

"Trust gets you in trouble. Look what happens when you trust family." 

“Trust did not bring you to this point, your own mistakes did.” Jarvis sounded more firm as he spoke now. He’d stayed with Tony on several occasions when the man had a break down. “Someone is giving you a chance at a better life and you are refusing because of what your father and brother did. Mr. Stark is neither of them and yet you treat him as if he has betrayed you.”

Tony nodded and flew up into the air before heading back to the tower. He groaned at the sharp pain in his chest, his breath hitching. 

“You’ve bruised your chest quite badly Sir. I would suggest bed rest until the bruising has time to heal over.”

“I’ll just put ice on it.” 

“Sir, please don’t start ignoring my medical advice again. We both know it does not end well for you.”

"But he will be like them!" He said. "It's only a matter of time before he turns on me as well and you already have. Just shut up and leave me alone!" The temperature in the room started to drop dangerously low and very quickly.

“Do not pretend that you know Mr. Stark. You’ve hit him on several occasions when he dared make an assumption about your history, and yet here you are doing the same. Very well, I shall leave you to your tantrum.” Jarvis was silent after that. In fact, the entire tower seemed to be eerily quiet. 

Tony arrived back soon enough, exhausted and in pain. He let Jarvis take off his suit, his breathing heavy from the pain around his reactor. 

“What did you say to rub on it again?”

“It’s called vapor rub Sir. It will greatly ease the pain and swelling.”

“And where is it?” 

“In the kitchen cabinet Sir.”

The ice forming on the floor stopped at the door that was about to freeze him in. Dropping to the floor in a corner Loki stayed there for a long time.

Tony walked into the kitchen and grabbed the vapor rub and some pain pills; might as well help it along. He popped two pills into his mouth and chugged some water with it. 

“Shall I begin scanning and implementing repairs on the suit Sir?”

“Yeah, go ahead.” Tony limped over to the couch and just let his body fall on it. He was too tired to go back to his room. Besides, he’s bought comfortable couches specifically so he could pass out on them. He opened the vapor rub and rubbed some on his chest, hissing at the oddly cool sting. 

"Sir, please go the bedroom and lay down otherwise you've feel far worse in the morning." Jarvis said.

Tony lay on the couch for a moment then groaned and got himself back up. He paused, taking a deep breath and headed back to his room, shuddering slightly. 

“Why’s it so damn cold?”

“Your guest was overheated and dropped the temperature to cool himself off.”

Tony shrugged and lay down on his bed. He sighed, almost falling asleep right there with his face pressed into the blankets. 

“I’m so tired.” 

"Good night, sir." Jarvis said cutting the shuts and shutting everything down for the night.

Tony mumbled quietly as he dozed off. 

His chest hurt the next morning, though it was considerably less than the day before. He walked out into the kitchen, rubbing his chest slightly. 

“How’s my suit Jarvis?”

“Quite well, all things considered. The paint received the most damage, though the dings and scratches were easily fixed. There was no structural damage to the suit.”

“Good.” Tony started making some coffee and sat at the island while he waited. He scrolled through the news on his tablet. 

“Jarvis I need you to run an analysis for me.”

“On the explosions? I began them last night Sir. So far I have come up with fifteen possible components.”

“Narrow em down if you can.”

"Of course, Sir." Jarvis got to work.


	23. Chapter 23

Loki woke up on the floor. He sighed as he picked himself up. He had no interest in eating or having something to drink.

Tony glanced towards Loki’s room and sighed a bit. “How’s he doing?”

“Not too well Sir. He’s quite upset.”

The inventor pursed his lips. Why couldn’t he just keep his mouth shut? Tony tapped his fingers on the island then walked towards the room, hesitating a moment before knocking on the door. 

“Loki?”

"Sir, I would advise you not to. He's been throwing as bit of a tantrum. If he gets angry enough his body starts to drop the temperature of the room." Jarvis explained.  
Tony paused and ran his tongue along his teeth. He finally took a deep breath and opened the door, but only slightly.

“I’m sorry. I was just trying to make you smile.” Tony closed the door and rubbed his chest, groaning a bit. He headed back to his room and sighed relieved as he leaned back against the pillows. 

“Do I have anything on schedule?”

“Not for today Sir, though you may want to inform Dum-E and Butterfingers that you are alive and well. They seem quite upset.”

“Aw, how cute.” 

"They do get upset when you are not around." Jarvis said. The two robots were wheeling around wanting Tony to come back.

Tony chuckled and shook his head, opening up a live feed to the lab. “You can stop worrying boys, I’m all right.”

The two machines beeped happily, rushing to the screen. Dum-E fell somehow and beeped in distress. Tony sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. 

“My idiot sons.”

"Sir, don't be mean they care for you very much. We all do." Jarvis said.

“I know, I know.” Tony grunted as he adjusted himself on the bed. “You can stop worrying boys, I’m okay. Just got a few bruises.”

 

The machines beeped as is relieved and moved aside so Tony could see they had cleaned up in the lab. Granted, Jarvis had to control the suit and do the actual cleaning, but they tried. 

“Well aren’t you two cute?”

"Even when you say how much you'll get rid of them." Jarvis said. "Ms. Potts is on her way to check on you."

“All right.” Tony closed out the feed, sighing a bit. “I feel kinda short of breath.”

“An after-effect of the bruising no doubt. Does it hurt to breathe Sir?”

“Mmh, only a little.” 

“Just remain resting over the next few days and it will pass.”

"Sir, you would be best to rest a few days and stay out of the lab." Jarvis said. 

Tony rolled his eyes. “I get it Mom.”

“Tony, don’t talk to Jarvis like that.” Pepper said with a small frown as she walked into the room. She set a bag down then set next to Tony. “So what happened?”

“We had to get rid of some bombs, but they were rigged to go off when found. So we had to detonate them and I got hit a few times.”

“How’s your suit?”

“It’s fine. Scratched the paint though.”

She rolled her eyes. "Are you alright though?" She asked. "Where's Loki?"

“I’m fine Pep, it’s just some bruises.” Tony sighed a bit, looking away from her. “I made a joke he didn’t like. He’s been in his room all day.”

“Seriously?”

“I didn’t think it would hurt his feelings!”

"Sir, it's gone beyond that now." Jarvis said. "He's gone back to previous darkness."

“Well that’s just…” Tony pursed his lips tight and buried his face in his hands. Pepper looked at the man and put a hand to his shoulder. 

“No one said this would be easy Tony. You said it yourself; there’s a whole mess of stuff we don’t know about. Just try again.”

"It would be best to leave him be for a few days. Sir, I would like to remind you that Loki may not have his powers but he is still a great deal stronger than you."

“Yeah, I get it.” Tony sighed heavily. “I messed up Pep.”

“You made a mistake Tony. After everything you’ve done to try and help him, I think you’re allowed to make at least one.”

"Has Fury tried stopping by to snatch him up again?" 

Tony chuckled a bit at that and nodded. “Oh yeah. And every time he comes near the tower, I have Jarvis pull out all my suits. Loki isn’t an active threat and he’s not a prisoner of SHIELD anymore. Fury can’t just haul him back because he’s mad at the guy.”

"I'm still trying to figure out why he would grant Loki probation if all he planned on doing was hanging over his shoulder to drag him back."

“Because he’s a dick.” Tony said simply. “He wanted to give Loki a taste of freedom just to constantly remind him that he can never be free.” The inventor frowned a bit. “He wants to torture Loki by showing him something he can’t have anymore.”

"Loki's freedom was already taken away from him, why keep looming it over his head like that?"

“Slow torture Pep. Like when I was being held hostage and the guy said he’d let me go when he got what he wanted. I knew the truth, but for some reason, you keep this tiny shred of hope in the back of your mind that this person will do what they say.” Tony shrugged.

"The documents of the invasion from the moment Loki arrived on earth, Loki has been dropping hints that his own freedom had been taken away. Loki has not been free for a long time. Longer than the year he was at SHIELD." Jarvis said.

“It’s not fair.”

“I know it’s not Pep.” Tony looked at the redhead. “But this is the one time I can’t just blast at things with my suit and make it better.” 

Pepper shook her head. “What are the terms of his probation though?”

“He has to stay in the tower and if he ever leaves the perimeter, it’s only with Fury’s permission and heavy SHIELD escort. He can’t walk out of the tower without me or another Avenger present and his magic is sealed until his probation is over.”

“I take it there’s no chance for redemption there?”

“No. Fury made the rules so that the only chance Loki has to redeem himself is if he helps SHIELD and the Avengers on dangerous missions, which he can’t do because he can’t leave the tower without Fury’s permission. And Fury won’t give Loki permission to help out because he’s on probation.”

"So he's locked him in every which way and made it impossible for him to get out."

Tony nodded. “He’s looking for any small excuse to haul Loki back there and keep him there for good.”

“Guess that explains why you’ve been so protective of him.”

“I can’t let him go back there Pep.”

"If he goes back then I'm going to raise hell." She said.

Tony chuckled a bit and nodded then groaned a put a hand to his chest. 

“Did you already take something for the pain?”

“Yeah, I put some of that rub stuff and took some pain medicine.”

Pepper nodded a bit. “Are you sure it’s all right? I mean your reactor?”

“It’s fine Pep. Just some bruises.”

The redhead pursed her lips a bit. “Have you told Loki about how you got your reactor? Maybe he’d relate to you better if he knew.”

“I haven’t told him.”

"Might be a good starting point. You keep wanting information from him but you haven't given him anything on you. Make it a fair trade."

Tony sighed but nodded. “Fine, I’ll try.”

“No, you’ll do it.”

“All right, all right, I’ll do it.” 

Pepper nodded. “Good. Now, I’m going to go ahead and order something for you. Real food.”

Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Loki has to eat too and Bruce is here so you'll never get the food. Maybe between the three of you, you can put some weight on Loki."

“He’s been gaining weight pretty well since he got here. He eats like a horse if you let him.” Tony chuckled a bit and Pepper smiled. 

“Good. He needs that.”

Pepper ordered some food for the men then had to leave later in the afternoon for a meeting.

Tony sat in his room before getting bored and moving out into the living room. He grumbled then sat on the couch. 

“Sir, it’s best if you not move around so much.”

“I just needed to stretch my legs a bit. How’s Loki?”

"Still sulking. I don't think it’s going to pass any times soon Sir." He said.

Tony got to his feet and went to Loki’s room. He opened the door and looked at the god. “Why don’t you come up to the roof with me?”

Staggering to his feet Loki went to him to follow Stark up to the roof.

Tony grabbed some water, a blanket and headed up to the roof. It wasn’t too cold, but he didn’t want to risk getting sick. No matter how hard he tried, he always caught a cold around this time. 

Tony took a seat and looked out over the city. 

“I’m not really good at sharing stuff but Jarvis said something about fair trade and I don’t know what else.” Tony paused a moment then looked at Loki. “Do you know what this is?” He pointed to his arc reactor.

"Your heart." Loki replied. "It’s the source to the power of you suit but that is all I know."

“It’s actually an energy generator near my heart that’s powering a magnet.” Tony looked at the god then away. “A couple years ago, I got captured by these men that wanted my weapons and I got hurt. I have small pieces of metal in my chest and this,” He tapped at the reactor. “Is the only thing keeping those things out of my heart.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> be sure to comment.

Loki hummed as he listened to him. He didn’t sit down and the cold dint bother him.

Tony looked at the god then rolled his eyes a bit. “Could you sit down? It’s bad enough you’re like five feet taller than I am. Come on, we’re on the same level, aren’t we? You’re not less than me so sit.” Tony patted the spot next to him.

Loki squatted down before sitting entirely. "Fair enough." He replied.

“Good.” Tony looked at the god for a moment before averting his gaze. “Did you eat the pudding I gave you?” 

"I did." He replied. "It was very good. Thank you."

Tony smiled a bit. “Glad you liked it.” Tony looked at his hands then sipped his water. “I don’t know everything you’ve been through and I can’t begin to imagine what it must feel like, but I do know a lot of things. My father was an alcoholic. He never cared much for me except that I continue with the business” He looked at Loki. “I understand what you’re going through Loki. I know what that kind of darkness is like.”

"Then you know that I would rather end it?" Loki asked. "Know that I would rather leave this insufferable existence behind?"

“Yeah, I do.” Tony looked into the god’s eyes. “I’ve tried doing that before, just ending everything. It starts to get so dark in your mind that you can’t remember what the light was like. And people tell you all this stuff about how you have a life to live for and that you shouldn’t do it, but they say it because they don’t know what your darkness is like. I know what your darkness is like Loki because that’s what mine looks like.”

"You know not what my darkness is. My darkness is far more complicated, far more tangled and far more disappointing. The webs in my darkness have a hold that refuses to let me go. If it hadn’t been for the strange weapons you use here I would have slit my throat months ago."

“Then tell me about it.” Tony looked at the god sincerely. “And I’ll tell you about mine.” He started to feel tense suddenly. He wanted to call it quits and just let Loki go back to his room but he couldn’t. This wasn’t the time to be afraid of talking. “You can’t chase the darkness out of your mind by ignoring it and you know that.”  
Loki scoffed. "Born in darkness, you shall live in it and die in it as well."

Tony stared at the god for a moment then stood up suddenly. “All right, I’ve had enough.” He gripped Loki by the shirt and yanked up him to his feet. “You wanna die that bad?” Tony pressed Loki against the guard rail on the roof, dangling him back. “I’ve been doing everything I could to help you feel cared for! I’ve let you hit me and insult me; I gave you your own room with a real bed when I was told that you were supposed to be kept in a windowless cell in the basement! I’ve bent every rule to try and help you and all you can do it sit there and whine about how you’re alone! Well I’m here!”

Loki shoved Stark away from him. He then grabbed the inventor by his collar and lifted him from his feet. "You've forgotten who I am again. What I can do. I could easily drop you." Loki said. "Your Cyclopes would get what he wanted: me back inside of a cell. He may even take mercy on me send me to Odin and let the Allfather kill me."

Tony gripped Loki’s arm, glancing towards the ground then looking back at the ground. “I didn’t forget anything because you have told me anything!” He shouted at the god, letting his anger get the better of him. “You talk so high and mighty, like you think people know who you are but when they ask, you just run off like a stupid kid! You think your life sucks? Then make it better you pretentious fuck!” Tony kicked the god in the chest, gasping in pain as he was dropped. He clutched his chest, wheezing. 

Loki quickly picked himself up. He discovered something about himself while he was in the bathroom after his fall out with Stark's feet.

Tony coughed as he picked himself up. He shut his eyes tight and sat against the guard rail. “Your life sucks because you want it to. I’m trying to help you.” He coughed again, rubbing his chest and clenching his teeth. It felt like his chest were about to cave in. “I’m trying to give you a chance to make things better because I don’t want you see you miserable.”

"What chance do I have when your Cyclopes has locked me in every which way? I heard you Stark! He plans to keep me a prisoner. I cannot redeem myself and he will not allow me too. He wants me to stay here and rot while he watches and what am I to do?"

“That is why I want to help you!” Tony clenched his fist and hit the ground, gasping at the pain. Best not raise his voice at the moment. He looked at Loki. “I’m trying to help you so you don’t have to stay locked up. What you do is you stop throwing tantrums and acting dark and let me help you.” Tony hauled himself onto his feet, shouting at the pain. “You can start by getting me back inside…!”

Loki rolled his eyes and picked Stark up. Taking him inside, he placed him on the couch. Taking the front of Stark's shirt Loki ripped it down the middle and frowned. 

"Stupid man. Stay still." He ordered going into the kitchen to get a pot of hot water.

“Second thing is to stop insulting me!” Tony shouted after the god then groaned and doubled over. He took deep breathes, trying to stop the pain somehow. 

Loki came back with one of the dish towels from the kitchen. "You kicked me in the chest and you don’t see me whining do you?" He asked. He made Stark lay back. 

"Hold still."

“You don’t have a hole and pieces of metal in your chest.” Tony winced and groaned but held still despite the pain. He shut his eyes tight, his hands shaking. 

Putting the cloth into hot water Loki out it over Tony's chest. "Take deep breaths."

Tony did as Loki told him, grunting every so often. He took long, slow breathes, trying to relax. “There’s some chest rub stuff in my room. Could you get it?” He looked at Loki.

“It’s on the nightstand, a blue bottle with a green lid.” Jarvis added. “There is also some pain medication next to it.”

"It'll go away faster if you let me do my job." Loki said.

“It really hurts.” Tony gasped out quietly, trying not to move too much. The worst thing was the swelling really. The muscles in his chest tightened around the shards of metal and made breathing a nightmare. 

"Just lay back and let me work for a moment." He said.

Tony rested his head back against the pillow on the couch, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the pain. “My mother died in an accident.” Tony groaned a bit. “She was taking a plane back to see me before I left. The plane had some failures in it and she…she died when it crashed.”

"I'm sorry." Loki replied. "I’m sure she was a kind woman."

“She was. My dad was an alcoholic. He was always an ass hole to everyone but the cute secretaries he had working for him. He cheated on my mother all the time, but she never left because she knew I’d be stuck with him. She always tried to keep me safe when he was drinking.”

Loki continued on with his work. "So why did you continue on with his work if you hated him so much?"

Tony opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling quietly. “I thought I could be better. I thought I could prove that he wasn’t that great if I made bigger guns and more bombs. So I did. Turns out I’m the same piece of trash he is. I just don’t have a son to mentally scar.”

"I doubt you would have done the same to your own son. You already went through that pain so why put that pain on another? Why add on to the chain of hurt and heartache?"

“Cause that’s what I am: a drunk from a long line of drunks that push and abuse the people around them. That’s why it didn’t last between me and Pepper. I can’t talk about the things in my head so I drink.” Tony shrugged. “And she got sick of it and left.” He felt a knot in his throat and tried to swallow it back. 

"While the drink is nice for a while, what are you going to do but face what is really there when the bottle is empty?"

“I guess you’d have to be an alcoholic to understand.” Tony looked at the god oddly drained. “I don’t have anything else besides my work. The world thinks it must be so great to be Tony Stark. Get all the women, have all this money and power. But at the end of the day I go home and it’s cold and it’s lonely. That’s what it’s like to be Tony Stark.”

"Yet you won’t help yourself. You don’t want to be a drunk so stop drinking. You don't want to keep sleeping around so stop inviting women over. If you want to stop feeling so damn lonely get a cat. Only reason I made it this far."

Tony couldn’t help but chuckle then groaned because the sudden movement caused him pain. “I’ve been cutting back. It’s slow, but hey, progress is progress. I actually can’t drink as much as I used to or else it’ll kill my reactor and that will kill me.” Tony sighed then looked at the god. “And I held back a bit when you got here.”

"Your alcohol is like watered down mead to me." he said.

“Thor complains about that all the time, but I’ve gotten him drunk before. Bet I could get you drunk too.” Tony said proudly. He was known for mixing wicked drinks. 

"Maybe, if I drank half a barrel." Loki sighed.

Tony grinned, taking Loki’s words as a dare. “I have something I think you’d like.” The man grumbled and got to his feet, no longer caring about the pain in his chest. 

He went to his bar and searched through the cabinets before pulling out a large, thin black bottle. “My most popular mixture. I only use it on special occasions.” 

Loki arched a brow. "And what would you call this?"

“I call it GunPowder.” Tony grinned and pulled out two glasses, filling one and walked back over to Loki. He handed it to Loki then sat down, only serving himself a small amount. 

“Sir.”

“I’m only having this much Jarvis.” Tony groaned, getting comfortable again. “Don’t worry.”

Loki sniffed at it and then sighed. He took the first sip of it and wrinkled his nose. "This isn't too bad."

“I thought you’d like it. It comes off strong but I made sure to die back the flavor a bit.” Tony swirled his drink and took a small sip. “It’s a mix of some Russian vodka I bought years back. It was a gift from a woman I dated for a while. Then there’s some wine in there to make it sweeter and a couple other things.”

Loki drank it like it was nothing. "Though I prefer a decent wine." Loki replied. "If I leave you will you survive the night?" He asked.


	25. Chapter 25

Tony smiled a bit at the god, finishing his drink. “If you kissed me good night maybe.” He hissed as he stood again and put the bottle away before looking at the god. 

“How about you?”

"I will live. You'll see me in the morning." Loki nodded to him.

Tony nodded back and went towards his room. “Night Reindeer Games.” The playboy chuckled and went into his room. He grabbed the vapor rub from his nightstand, though when he did he noticed the pain was almost completely gone. 

Loki was asleep almost instantly. He slept well through the night and into the morning. After a quick shower and getting dressed he ventured from his room.

Tony was up rather early the next morning. He sat at the island, sipping his coffee as he looked through his tablet. 

“What’s the weather gonna be like today?”

“It will be raining most of the day Sir, and quite foggy.”

Tony hummed in response, rubbing his chest a bit. 

“Guess today’s a stay-inside-day.”

“It would seem so Sir. Also, Mr. Laufeyson’s books have arrived.”

Loki came out of his room and sighed as he realized the weather outside. "Do we have to bother with this today? It seems more like a day to stay in and sleep."

Tony looked over at the god and smiled a bit. “Guess you could just sleep in. Nothing else to do.” Tony was quiet a moment then suddenly perked up. “No, I’m wrong.” He suddenly got up and walked over to his television, pulling up some games. “We can do this.” 

Loki groaned. "Why don’t you catch up on your sleep? Jarvis said you don’t sleep as much as you need to."

Tony rolled his eyes. “I sleep enough. Come on, you’ll love this, trust me.” The playboy handed Loki a controller then started up an easy game. “Here, watch.”

Loki looked at the controller with disdain. "Really?" he asked.

“Hey, you can go back to being bored if you want or you can watch me work on my suits. Your pick.” Tony pulled up an early version of Mario and explained the controls to Loki. 

Loki rolled his eyes. "Could you not play chess?" he asked.

Tony looked at the god then shrugged. “I’ll play sometimes with Jarvis but it’s not my favorite game. It goes so slow and the same things always happen.” He sounded so bored just talking about it. 

Loki rolled his eyes. Stark had no real love for the game. He watched Stark play the game on the screen and found himself bored. "This is stupid."

“Then you give it a try.” Tony frowned childishly and handed the controller to Loki. “You saw me do it, so you go ahead.”

Loki humored him and tried to play the game and ended up stuck against the wall.

Tony tried not to laugh. He leaned close, showing the god which buttons to push. “You jump with that one and try not to get hit by those things.”

"This is stupid." Loki frowned.

Tony laughed and shook his head, taking the controller. “All right, so you don’t like video games.” He smiled at the god, clearly amused. “Your books are here.”

Loki perked up at that. "Where are they?" he asked.

“Shakespeare.” Tony grinned playfully and walked over to the two boxes. “There’s some old poetry and other stuff in there too. Thought you might like it.”

Loki reached into the box and the first he pulled forth was Othello. Humming he set about reading it.

“Oh hey, before you get too caught up in that, I wanna show you something else.” Tony grabbed the god’s wrist and guided him to a room down the hall. “I’m turning it into a library for you. It didn’t look like you had any more space in your bedroom.”

Loki looked around the room. "When will the selves be in?" he asked.

“Later today. Jarvis is going to use some my suits to do most of it though. He doesn’t want me hurting my chest any more than it already is.” Tony shrugged and as he said this, three suits walked into the room carrying supplies. 

Loki nodded. 

"And more books are on the way. We shall have a properly stacked Library." Jarvis said.

“There you go.” Tony smiled at the god triumphantly then turned and headed towards the kitchen for some coffee when his phone went off. 

“Sir, it’s Director Fury.” 

Tony growled out annoyed. “Patch him through.” He looked at a screen as Fury’s face appeared. “Hey Princess.”

“Cut the games Stark, this isn’t a social call.”

Loki talked to Jarvis about the kinds of books Jarvis was about to order. In addition to ordering books for himself they ordered books that they thought Stark would find useful. 

The Suits did the work in a timely and orderly fashion and collected the boxes that Tony had purchased previous from Loki's room.

“Everything’s fine Fury. He’s been behaving.”

“What do you mean behaving?”

“I mean not being evil. He just sits around and reads all day.”

“And you’re sure of that?”

“Well considering we’re both locked up here with nothing else to do yes, I think I’m sure I know what my new roomie is doing.”

“There you are Mr. Laufeyson; all the books are organized alphabetically.” Jarvis said as the suits stepped back so Loki could enjoy the library.

"Thank you Jarvis. When will the rest of the books arrive?" He asked.

“In a day or so Sir. I managed to find copies within city limits, so it will not take long to receive them.”

“I just want to make sure Stark. He isn’t exactly my favorite person.”

“Yeah well before I knew the truth he wasn’t my favorite either, but torture has a way of changing people.” Tony glared at the director and it was silent for a moment.

“You never mentioned that to me.”

“And you know exactly why.” Fury cut the call, leaving Tony alone. 

"Sir, I doubt Loki will let the director get away for long. Mr. Laufeyson seems like the type to seek his revenge when the other has let their guard down." Jarvis explained.

"Alright, thank you Jarvis." Loki smiled.

“Yeah, I figured that much.” Tony sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Don’t tell me you blame him?”

“Of course not Sir, but attacking Director Fury would not exactly help his case.”

“Has he looked at the information I sent him?”

“Not yet Sir.”

"Shall I record it when it happens?" Jarvis asked.

“Yes, and I want to see it right after.” Tony said down and looked at the windows, watching the rain. 

“By the way Sir, your suits fixes have been made.”

“Oh yeah?” He stood and headed to the lab. “How’s my baby doing?”

“Very well Sir. The suit resisted the damage quite well and is functioning perfectly.”

Loki smiled as he settled in for the day in the new library. "Now all we need is a warm fire."

“I am sure Mr. Stark would not object to your request should you ask. He enjoys building things, really.”

Tony tested his suit out a few times and grinned. “Looks good.”

“It does Sir. I’ve also gone ahead and updated any program features in the suit.”

Loki took one of the new books and headed out to his room. "Okay." he said. 

“Anything else that needs to be fixed?”

“Not on the suit Sir, but I’m afraid Dum-E tried to make another shake for you while you were sick.”

Tony groaned and closed his eyes, afraid to look back at the small work area. “No, no, no, no.” He said under his breath then turned, cracking open one eye. “Dum-E!”  
The machine beeped and went over. 

“Clean that up!”

Dum-E looked at Tony almost puzzled then back at the mess. The machine went over, sulking like a scolded pet. 

“And don’t pout, you’re not getting sympathy from anybody.”

The machine got started on cleaning up. 

"The food order that Ms. Potts put in will arrive in the morning." Jarvis added.

“All right. What did she get me?”

“Mostly fresh fruits and vegetables as well as some prime meats and dairy. She also asked me to ensure you are drinking enough water.”

“I am, I am.” Tony grabbed a water bottle out of the mini-fridge in his lab before heading up to his gym. 

"The fruits and vegetables are mainly for Loki since he does not know how to cook." He said.

Tony hummed in response then got an idea. He paused on his way to the gym area and went over to Loki’s room, popping his head in. “Hey, sorry to bug you again but do you still want to learn how to cook? Cause I just thought of something that might help.”

"Jarvis is teaching me how to cook and the other new books he ordered are on the way with a few cook books in them." Loki pointed out.

“All right, well if you ever want to give this a try,” Tony handed the god his tablet and showed him a few cooking shows. “You can use this to watch some cooking shows too. Thought you might like em.”

Watching them Loki wrinkled his nose. He didn’t like all the flare. "Very well." He said nodding.


	26. Chapter 26

Tony left the tablet there then turned to go back to the gym. He took a large gulp from his water bottle. 

“Please take care Sir. You don’t want to add any more stress to your chest.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Bruce woke up and decided to venture out of his room. When Jarvis told him Loki was in his own room he decided to go check on Tony in the gym.

Tony was throwing some punches at a sand bag before taking a break for a while. His chest was starting to ache a bit, so he stepped back and got a drink. 

“Should you be working out so soon after those bruises?”

“It’s fine. I don’t push myself too hard.”

Bruce nodded. "How's Loki doing? Still hulled up in his room since you pissed him off?"

“No, I built him a library and got him some books. I let him hit me a little too.”

“Tony.”

“Hey, I survived. He’s scary strong though. Don’t invite him up to the roof when you’re alone and he’s pissed.”

“Are you serious?” 

“Hey, you told me to talk to him and I did. We talked.”

"I told you to talk to him, not get nearly thrown off the freaking roof." he said. "Define scary strong?"

“He picked me up and there was no strain in his arm, at all. It was like he was picking up a pillow.” Tony shook his head and took a large gulp of his water. “But we bonded, I think. You know he actually smiled at me?”

Bruce’s eyes widened. “The creepy way?”

“No, like a real smile. Jarvis, did you get a clip of it at all?”

“Yes Sir.” The AI pulled up the images of Loki’s smile. 

Bruce cocked his head to the side. "I think that’s the first time in a long time he's actually smiled for himself." he said. "If Loki can pick you up with no strain I wonder what Thor is like without his powers." Bruce said.

Tony just laughed a bit and nodded. “Ask Barton. He loves telling that story.” 

Bruce smiled a bit and nodded. “So Loki’s doing better now?”

“I don’t know about doing better, but I think he trusts me a little more now. I had to build him a library cause he has so many books now, so I think he liked that.”

"Making him feel a bit more at home?" Bruce asked. "Good starting point. Have you heard from Fury at all?" 

“Yeah, he called earlier.” Tony shook his head. “He was asking how Loki’s doing.”

“I’m guessing he wasn’t asking it to be nice?”

“No. He doesn’t want Loki happy so he’s trying to make sure the guy’s miserable.”

Bruce smiled a bit. “And I take it you’re not letting that happen?”

“Hey, he didn’t do anything wrong. He doesn’t deserve to be miserable.”

"Yeah and unless this Thanos character or the Chitauri come back for him there is no way that he'll be able to get the others on his side." Bruce said.

“Unless we snuck him to let him help us on some missions.” Tony said with a sly gleam in his eyes. Bruce eyed his friend suspiciously. 

“How would you even do that?” 

“Look, ninety percent of the time, we’re under cover or in disguise when we go on a mission, right? It would be so easy to get him a uniform to slip into.”

"Sir, what if you talked to Thor about this as well? Perhaps he can talk to Odin about letting Loki have his powers back long enough for missions." Jarvis said.

Tony grinned. “I like your idea.” He was about to walk off then stopped. “Shit. How do I call him? The guy’s in Asgard.” He hadn’t thought about that. Tony huffed upset, trying to think of a way to call Thor. 

“You could ask Loki. Maybe he’ll go for it?”

Tony sighed a bit. “You really think I should just ask him?”

"You don't have to tell him why you need to talk to Thor you just need to talk to Thor." Bruce said.

Loki was enjoying the play he was reading. It was very entertaining and clever.

Tony just looked at Bruce with a deadpan expression. “Are you seriously telling me to try and lie to the god of lying?”

“Maybe he won’t be able to tell now that his powers are gone?”

“Bruce, I’m good but he’s the god of it. I’ll just have to ask really nicely.”

"Sir it's not lying if all you tell him is you needed to talk to Thor. You are only talking to him but you never have to tell him the subject of what you'll be talking about." Jarvis explained.

“That might work. All right, I’ll give it a try.”

Bruce nodded. “Maybe he’ll actually like the idea. I mean, it’s really his only way out of this mess.” The doctor sighed a bit. “Did you send Fury those files?”

“I did, but he hasn’t even looked at them yet. I think he has a feeling I’m right, but he doesn’t want to admit it.”

"He's not going to go for it." Bruce stated. "As long as Loki's locked up like a rat he doesn’t care."

Tony nodded and pursed his lips a bit. “And as long as Fury keeps telling everyone to treat Loki this way, they’ll keep doing it.”

Bruce sighed and shook his head. “The least we can do is try.”

"Let’s try it. Better than nothing."

Tony nodded. “I’ll ask him later today. He got some new books and I already bugged him enough earlier.”

Bruce chuckled. “He really likes reading, huh?”

“And cooking. He’s been learning some new recipes.”

“I saw that with the omelets. Maybe you could teach him to play the piano?”

"Mr. Laufeyson can process over 150 words per minute." Jarvis informed him. "He has learned chess, checkers and solitaire." 

"Well then." Bruce sighed.

“Yeah, show off.” Tony shook his head. “I can read that fast too, but it’s usually just science manuals.”

Bruce laughed a bit. “I don’t think that counts Tony.”

"Jarvis what other information have you picked up from Loki?" Bruce asked. 

“He has quite a taste for soothing music and silence as well. He is quite introvert, if I may say so, and somewhat anti-social.”

“Well I figured that much.” Tony rolled his eyes. 

"Anything he's told you on his upbringing that might have led to it?" Bruce asked.

"Well growing up he said that Thor would leave him behind a great deal so as a child he would have had to seek out his own company." 

“That explains a lot. Spending time alone, you get used to it.”

“Plus Thor is kind of annoying.”

Bruce chuckled a bit and shook his head. “Anything else?”

“There are many other things but it would be best for you to hear it from him. He has asked that I keep certain details private.”

"Should have known better." Bruce said. "Jarvis based on Loki's reading speed how high do you think his IQ is?"

“Based solely on his reading skills and problem solving that I have seen, his IQ would actually be quite elevated, though this is only with limited patterns to observe however. Were I able to test him properly, I suspect his IQ would quite far beyond even the most advanced human minds.”

Bruce chuckled. "I wouldn’t be surprised if he was able to catch on quick enough to Tony's work with the suits and basically build one himself." 

Tony looked at Bruce almost afraid. “Uh, no. No one else is allowed to come down here and mess with my things!”

“Relax Tony, I’m sure he wouldn’t. I’m just saying he has the potential.” 

Tony shuddered at that thought. 

"I just think it’s amazing how he's as smart as you. I would love to see what he'd have been like if he'd been from earth." 

“He’d probably be in something like medicine research.” Tony shrugged. Loki struck him as the type that would do something along those lines, but he could be wrong.

“Why research?”

“He’s pretty good at the whole healing-people thing.”

"How the hell would you know?" Bruce asked.

“He took care of the pain in my chest. You should have seen the look in his eyes when he was taking care of me.” Tony smiled a bit as he thought of it. 

“How was it?”

“Like he was actually worried.”

"He'd come in handy out in the field if he'd had his powers."

“He really would. Sometimes I think Fury forgets that we’re still just human. Well, except you.”

Bruce smiled and shoved Tony playfully. “Shut up.”

Tony chuckled at his friend. “We’d still have to ask Loki if he’d be interested. And if he says no, then there goes the whole thing.” He sighed a bit. 

"But first let’s talk to Thor. See if we can get Loki's powers back for when he goes on missions. But then if he says no and decides he wants to change his mind he can."

Tony nodded then went upstairs to talk to Loki. He knocked on the door to the god’s room and was surprised not to find him there. He checked in the library and smiled a bit.

“Like your new room?”

Loki nodded. "I do, a great deal." Loki smiled. "Thank you."

Tony smiled back, feeling a faint blush creep onto his cheeks. “Glad you like it. Listen, I need to ask you a favor. I need to talk to your brother. Do you have some kind of intergalactic phone I could use?”

"You'll have to go up to the roof and call Heimdall. He will know to send Thor to you." Loki replied.


	27. Chapter 27

Tony blinked. “I’m sorry, call what?” His knowledge of Asgard was clearly stunted. Tony looked at Loki puzzled, wondering what in the world going on the roof would do to help. 

"Heimdall is not a what but a who. He is the gate keeper. He keeps watch of the Bifrost and the nine realms. I know for a fact he has his eyes on me. Odin will be wanting updates. Go to the roof and call his name." 

Tony felt a chill go through him. “That’s creepy.” He said then turned up headed up towards the roof. He felt stupid when he got up there. What if Loki was messing with him? He took a deep breath. 

“Heimdall?” He looked around and frowned then jumped when he looked up and saw what look like a tornado forming. He fell back, his heart pounding as light and smoke engulfed him. He closed his eyes then peeked one open when it was all over. 

“You called for me, Man of Iron?” Thor stood there, not seeming to care for what just happened. Tony sat there dumbstruck before getting to his feet. 

“What the hell was that?!”

"That is how we travel from realm to realm. It is called the Bifrost. Now what is it you need?" Thor asked. Heimdall had assured him that Loki was fine. As much as he wanted to see his brother he knew it would not be welcomed.

Tony shook his head, his eyes still wide from the shock. “Right. Umm, listen, I need you to talk to your dad about giving Loki his powers back.”

“Man of Iron, know you what you ask?”

“I do, and I’m not talking about giving them back for good, I’m talking about giving him a chance. Letting him have his powers during a missions so he can help the Avengers.”

Thor was still slightly tense about this, but he rather liked the idea. “Have you spoken to Loki about this?”

“No, I haven’t yet, but it’s the only chance he’s got to redeem himself and you know it.”

"To have him right the wrongs of what he's done by helping you and the others?" Thor asked. "The Angry one can also give him back his powers why have you not asked him?" Thor asked.

“Because Fury doesn’t want to help Loki, he wants to keep him locked in a cell forever and torture him for something he didn’t do.” Tony felt himself getting angry and he sighed. “You have to help him Thor. I can’t do this by myself.”

The thunder god looked at Tony then down. He wanted nothing more than to help his brother. He wanted to take this burden off his brother’s shoulders and take him home, but he knew that wouldn’t happen. 

“Very well. I shall speak to my father of this.”

Loki was in his room still he wondered what the Man of Iron wanted to see Thor about and why.

There was another knock at the door. 

"Hey Loki." Bruce called before popping his head in. "Hey can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked. "I need to run a few tests on you. See where you are physically." he said.

“Thanks.”

Thor nodded and looked at Tony curiously. “Why do you suddenly wish to help my brother?”

Tony looked at Thor for a moment and shrugged. “He didn’t do the things everyone thinks he did. He’s been hurt and he deserves a second chance.”

Thor gave the other a confused look. "Of course he did what he did. I saw no one else but my brother standing there." Thor said.

“It’s not like that Thor, trust me.”

“Anthony,” Thor said as he looked at Tony. “Do not believe everything my brother tells you. He is charming and he is kind at times but do not forget what he is capable of.” 

“He almost threw me off the roof; I think I know what he’s capable of. I’m telling you: he didn’t attack the city because he wanted to.  
”  
“And what proof have you otherwise?”

Tony was about to say more but paused. Was it really a smart idea to tell Thor the whole truth? All things considered, the thunder god would probably storm down and confront Loki then go and blow SHIELD off the face of the earth. 

"Well Son of Stark?" Thor asked. He wanted to see what the inventor had to say about what his brother had told him.

“Look, I know what I’m talking about. Your brother didn’t do the things everybody keeps blaming him for.” Tony looked at the god sincerely. “So don’t give up on him yet.”

Thor felt his heart grow heavy at Tony’s words. “I have trusted him through so much already. I do not know how much more I can trust him.”

“He doesn’t have anyone, Thor. He’s alone and the only thing he’s got right now is the hope that maybe somebody will give him a chance.”

"Then it will be you to suffer when it doesn't work out. I will not trust my brother anymore. He's caused far too much trouble and pain. I will still speak to my father about letting him have his powers back for missions but that is on you." 

Tony nodded then turned to go back inside after Thor left. He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair. Now he just had to wait for the decision before he told Loki. 

With any luck, the god would finally catch a break. 

Bruce finished the exam and took more notes. “Good news; you’re almost at a normal weight. Just a few extra pounds and you’ll be fine.”

"Once you're at that normal weight you can start using the gym we have here to build up that muscle definition you lost out on." Bruce said.

“Getting a checkup, huh?” Tony asked as he walked over and crossed his arms but his eyes widened slightly. He hadn’t seen Loki shirtless in a long time, but now that the god was filling out again he looked…good. 

"Yes, Doctor Banner seems to enjoy that I'm gaining weight." Loki replied.

“It’s a good thing. Means you’re getting healthy again.”

“More importantly, it means you’re actually getting the nutrients your body needs now that you’re not starving.” Bruce said rather tightlipped. He knew he wasn’t allowed to talk about the torture in front of Loki, but just knowing about it pissed him off. 

Tony nodded quietly then smiled at the god. “So, what kind of pudding was your favorite? I can get more.”

"The chocolate pudding was very good. And the white one with what looks like chocolate pudding on top." he said.

“All right, I’ll have to get more of that stuff then.”

“Tony, don’t get him fat on junk food.” 

“I’m not! It’s just the pudding.” The inventor frowned a bit. The nerve!

Bruce shook his head then looked at Loki. “Your throat looked a little irritated. Has it been hurting or itching at all?”

"That’s from all the yelling I've done." Loki said. "Rather not explain it."

Bruce just nodded. “All right. Try to give your throat a break or you might ruin your vocal chords.” 

Tony looked at Bruce then at Loki. “Maybe from now on we should talk like civil people instead of screaming at each other.” He chuckled a bit. 

"Very well Doctor." Loki said.

Bruce nodded. “I think that’s it for today.” He smiled a bit at the god then turned and made sure to keep all the notes from the examinations. He was a creature of habit in that way. Tony watched him go then looked at Loki. 

“You know, not for nothing but you look better when you smile.” Tony flashed a grin at the god then turned to go back to the gym. 

Loki reached for his shirt to put it back on. The bruises were gone as well as the cuts and scrapes from the SHIELD agents but there was still little silver marks from where Loki had been cut during training or battle.

Tony looked at the old scars, wondering just how Loki had gotten them. They didn’t look fresh enough to be from SHIELD. “Can I ask you something?” 

"What?" Loki asked looking back at him.

“How’d you get those other scars?” Tony nodded at them a bit, hoping the god wouldn’t shut down again. 

"War." Loki said. "I've been going into battle since I was but thirteen." Loki replied.

Tony blinked shocked then shook his head. “You god people are insane.” He shuddered a bit at the thought of a kid out in a battlefield. 

"I am a prince and as a prince I must defend my home. If I was ever to become king I would need to know the ways of warfare." Loki explained. 

Tony just rolled his eyes. “That’s still crazy. It’s not like you can’t learn about that stuff when you’re old enough to reach over the counter.” He couldn’t understand how someone could be okay with having their child see battle so young. 

Loki shrugged his shoulders. "It’s just how we do things. I held my first dagger when I was five." Loki explained.

“Sheesh. I wasn’t even allowed to hold sharp pencils when I was five.” Tony looked at the god in disbelief. “So, if you ever had kids, would you let em fight that young?”

"No I wouldn't. Least not if I had a choice." he said. He didn’t have a choice. Fenrir wandered the nine realms fighting whenever he needed to and Sleipnir had been going into battle the day he reached stallion status.

Tony hummed in response. He’d never been very big into Norse mythology, and even how he wasn’t sure how much he’d read was true. “Did you ever have kids though?” 

"I did and that’s where we end this conversation." He said.

Tony nodded, though he didn’t want to leave it there. But he wasn’t exactly fond of the idea of getting punched again, so he didn’t ask anymore.


	28. Chapter 28

“What do you want for dinner?”

"I would like to try Chinese food this night." He said.

“Oh! I know the perfect place!” Tony grinned then turned, going out into the hall. “Jarvis!”

“I’m calling now Sir. Will you be having your usual order?”

“Yeah, and get Loki a sampler.”

“Very well.”

"Thank you Jarvis." Loki said.

Tony checked his phone then grabbed his water bottle. “Hey Bruce, we’re having Chinese!”

The doctor blinked as he walked out of his room but shrugged. “All right.”

"Hey Tony come here for a second." Bruce called to him.

Tony looked at Bruce and walked over to the doctor. “What’s up?”

"Did Loki give you an answer about all those scars on his body?" He asked.

Tony nodded. “Yeah. He said they’re from battles he was in as a kid. He was thirteen when he started fighting in battle.”

"Are you serious?" 

Tony nodded. “It’s intense. I don’t understand how someone could let their kid go through that, but I guess for them it’s normal.” 

"It is Sir. You will find that even here on earth in the dark ages boy would see War as young as twelve or thirteen as well." Jarvis informed him.

Tony just shook his head. It was a good thing that was tradition anymore. 

“I guess it makes sense, but still.”

“Sir, the food has arrived.”

“Awesome.” Tony grinned and went to the door, bringing the bags in. He went to Loki’s room and poked his head in. “Food’s here.

Loki got up and came to join him and the doctor in the kitchen so they could eat dinner.

Tony served himself then set everything out so Loki could see his choices. “I got the sampler. It has a small amount of everything they have at this place so just try everything and tell me what you like.” He popped a piece of orange chicken into his mouth and moaned in his throat. It was heavenly. 

Loki tried the orange chicken and shook his head. "No."

Tony snatched up the box with a little grin. “More for me.” He took a bite and licked his lips. 

Bruce shook his head and looked at Loki. “He likes the orange chicken.”

Loki tried something else and hummed. "This one is good." Loki said reaching for another. 

"That's crab Rangoon." Bruce said.

Tony made a face. He didn’t like those things, mostly because he didn’t like crab. He ate his orange chicken then got some rice. 

“Try the noodles.” Tony handed the box over to Loki.

Loki did as Tony said and gave the noodles a go.

“What do you think?” Tony asked then served himself some noodles. He finished off the last of his orange chicken then grabbed his drink. 

"They are good but not something I would want to eat that much." Loki replied. 

Bruce passed Loki beef and broccoli. "Try that."

Tony shrugged and finished his noodles, pausing a moment to sip his drink. “Oh, you should try this too.” He handed Loki some of the teriyaki chicken as well. 

Loki gave it a try.

"Loki I'm going to remind you to pace yourself here. There will still be more to try tomorrow." Bruce said. 

“Oh yeah. Don’t want you getting sick again.” Tony said then snatched up an egg roll.

"I am not yet full and I know my limits." He said.

“All right.” Tony shrugged and sipped his drink. 

“Sir, you are getting a call from Director Fury concerning some work.”

Tony rolled his eyes but stood and went down to his lab to take the call. 

“What’s up?”

“We’ve been getting a lot cyber-attacks lately. Think you can build me a security system to push that out?”

“Of course I can.”

Bruce was quiet for a moment as he sat with Loki at the island. He wiped some sauce off his lips then spoke up. 

“I umm, I’m sorry the Other Guy smashed you into the floor.”

Loki looked at him. "That was you?" he asked. 

Bruce nodded sheepishly. "I’m sorry." 

“It’s a reflex, I guess. When I turn into the Hulk, I can’t control him as well as I’d like to. If there’s anything else I did, I’m sorry for that too.”

Fury smirked a bit. “I’ll send you an email with the basics we need. You add anything else you feel we might need.”

“Got it.”

"Where's Loki?" he questioned. Fury was just going to stop saying when he was going to stop by and simply stop in.

“Upstairs eating. We’re keeping an eye on him Fury.”

“You and Banner?”

“Yeah, me and Bruce and Jarvis, in case you forgot my entire tower is essentially alive.”

"Don't get smart with me Stark I'm not in the mood for your mouth." He said. 

Tony rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m taking care of him, Fury.”

“I just want to make sure you’re not sympathizing with our enemy, Stark.”

“He’s not our enemy anymore and you know it.”

"He can still kill you I hope you realize. If he's at full strength he can still throw you around like a rag doll." 

“Yeah, I know that. Thor kind of demonstrated it when he took a bunch of your men out powerless.”

Fury clenched his jaw at the man. “Be careful Stark. This isn’t a game and he isn’t a pet.”

“I’ll start working on the security system. I’ll call you when it’s done.”

"Remember what I said." He said before Jarvis was able to hang up. 

While they continued to eat Bruce got curious.

"So you can fight like Thor?" He asked. 

"I can. Though I use my size to my advantage." Loki replied.

"What kind of weapons can you use?" 

"Spear, sword, bow and arrow, axe, I am best with a dagger." 

Bruce’s eyes widened a bit as he heard this. “Seriously?” 

Tony stayed in his lab for a moment then sighed. “Jarvis, get me a system layout ready for SHIELD. Just go ahead and start laying out everything Fury wants.”

“Very well Sir.”

"Yes. Why is this so hard to believe?" Loki asked. 

Bruce shrugged a bit. “Just seems kinda farfetched. I mean, you were royalty. I can’t really imagine a prince being forced to train so heavily.”

Tony went back upstairs and heard parts of the conversation. “You two better not be talking about me.”

"Just because I'm a prince it doesn't mean anything. I am a prince first and foremost but I am also a warrior and a protector to my realm." 

Bruce nodded then sipped his drink. “Sounds like a lot of responsibility to carry.”

“I think it’s sexy.” Tony shrugged and took his seat again. He pulled up his tablet and started organizing a few things for the security system.

"That's what it is." he said. "Thor always took being king as a joke. For years Odin fed me lies that I was born to be king. I worked to be king. Thor had no passion for the throne. 

He didn't want it. I bled, and trained and studied until my eyes were dry. Thor ditched lessons and didn't care. He didn't want the throne. He acted rashly and got into trouble constantly. But still father wanted him to have the throne, I only wanted to delay that." 

Bruce nodded slowly. “Doesn’t sound like very much fun, having to live with that kind of pressure?”

Tony just listened quietly. Loki had told him some of this already, though that was usually after a punches.

Loki shrugged. "The throne was never my birthright. To die as an infant cast out on a frozen rock, that was to be my birthright." 

Bruce winced a bit when Loki said this. “That’s kind of harsh.”

“Yeah well he’s here now.” Tony said. “Only birthright he has to worry about is how Jarvis locking the bathroom when he loses at chess.” Tony spoke from past experience. He’d beaten the AI in a game once and had trouble getting into his own bathroom for quite a while. 

"Jarvis is a sore loser?" Loki asked. 

“I most certainly am not.”

Tony just laughed and nodded. “Oh yeah you are. Like the time I-Ah!” Tony jumped as one of the sprinklers went off right over his head and squirted him with cold water. He gasped and backed away, standing there in shock. Bruce laughed as well only to receive the same treatment. 

“What did I do?”

"That is to keep you from talking as well." Jarvis said. 

“How come you don’t squirt Loki?” Tony asked upset. He grumbled and pulled his wet shirt off only to get drenched again on his way to his room. “Jarvis!”

“That was an accident Sir.”


	29. Chapter 29

Loki started laughing. Bruce watched the god laughing. He could see that was a real laugh. 

Tony didn’t seem too amused, though he found the god’s laugh so charming. It was so light and happy. He pouted and got some water in a glass, splashing Loki. 

“There, now we’re all even.” He stood a bit taller, pushing out his lower lip like a triumphant child. 

Bruce’s eyes widened, and he stifled a laugh, watching what would happen. 

Loki shook his head. "Far better than what I can say for you." Loki said. 

Tony blinked puzzled but didn’t question the god. He shrugged and went into his room, pulling on some dry clothes. 

Bruce shook his head then went and put on a dry shirt. “At least the food didn’t get wet.” He sat down and sipped his drink. 

Loki continued to eat and try the new food before him. "We don't have things like this in Asgard." he said. 

“Really?” Bruce looked at him curiously. 

“What kind of food do you have?” Tony asked and popped a piece of chicken into his mouth. 

"Goat, yak, cow, elk, rabbit, and fish.”

Tony’s eyes widened. “You’ve eaten rabbits?”

“Oh Tony.” Bruce sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands. The playboy had an odd soft spot for small animals. 

"You eat what you must to survive. Eat the rabbit or starve." he said.

Tony shook his head and shuddered. “I couldn’t do it.”

Bruce shook his head and finished his lunch when he got a text. “Oh, I have to go.” He wiped his lips and stood.

“Work?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you guys in a few days.”

"Good bye Doctor." Loki said. 

Bruce packed a few things then headed out. 

It was silent for a moment then Tony started putting some of the food away. “He probably got called to India again. He likes going there for some reason.” Tony shrugged and put the food in the fridge. Really the man just like being anywhere but the US. 

Loki nodded. "I'm done eating for the night." he said. 

Tony nodded and finished putting away the rest of the food then checked his tablet again. 

“Sir, I’ve finished plotting out the basic framework of the security system. It just needs your finishing touches now.”

“All right. Hey listen, if you need anything I’ll be down in the lab. Jarvis, go ahead and give Loki permits downstairs.”

“Very well Sir. Granting permits to lab and garage.”

Loki looked at him. "Thank you." he said. 

Tony looked back and smiled, shrugging. “I trust you. Just don’t touch my red car.” He went down to the lab and brought up a few screens. “Okay, let’s get this done.”

Loki nodded and cleaned up the food before heading off to his room.

Tony worked through the night, adding and changing features to the system and testing it over and over again. He would go back upstairs a few times for coffee, but didn’t leave his lab otherwise. 

“Jarvis, hack it.”

“Of course Sir.” The AI began trying to hack the system, though Tony was confident it would take a good long while. The playboy ran his hands over his face and yawned then shook his head.

“Might I suggest a nap Sir?”

“Nah I’m fine.”

"Please go take a nap Sir. This is going to take a while." Jarvis said. 

Tony sat there for a while then stood and went back upstairs. He’d just take a quick nap on the couch. 

“Wake me up as soon as you’re done.”

“Of course Sir.”

Tony lay down on the couch and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

Jarvis woke him up at ten the next morning when he finally managed to crack it. Loki was in the kitchen fixing breakfast for the two of them.

Tony couldn’t believe he’d slept so long. What was that, close to thirteen hours? He stretched, feeling refreshed as he got up. He yawned and walked towards the kitchen when he smelled food.

“I smell food.”

"That's because I'm cooking it." Loki said. "Today it's pancakes or flapjacks." Loki replied. 

Tony blinked; it certainly smelled good. He thought for a moment. “I want pancakes, with chocolate chips.” He grinned a bit and pulled out a bag of chocolate chips.

"Too bad there's no more batter and I'm not making any more so you'll eat them as I've made them." Loki smiled. 

Tony looked at the god both shocked and disappointed. He frowned but didn’t argue. He grabbed some pancakes and took a bite out of one angrily but then his eyes widened. 

“Oh my God, these are delicious.”

"Sugar goes a very long way." Loki said. 

Tony hummed in his throat, taking another large bite of his pancakes. He sat at the island then got up again to get some coffee.

Loki tucked into his own plate and started to enjoy the breakfast he'd made. 

Tony sipped his coffee and ate his pancakes happily. “How’d you learn to make these so good?”

Loki shrugged. "Trial and error." 

Tony looked at the god curiously. “When?”

“It was mostly while you were stuck down in your lab Sir.” Jarvis replied. Tony lost track of time so easily when he was working. 

Loki tucked into his plate and smiled as he settled in for the meal.

Tony shrugged and kept eating. The pancakes were delicious. He sipped his coffee every so often. 

"I cooked you can clean up this time." Loki smiled at him. 

“That’s low.” Tony narrowed his eyes at the god but started cleaning up when they’d finished eating. 

“I believe the system is ready for delivery Sir.”

“Good. Go ahead and email it.”

“Of course Sir. Shall I also attach your usual features?”

“Yep.” Tony always made sure to add something of a small firewall that would allow Jarvis to access software he made without having to hack it.

"Low is cleaning up a food fight your brother and his friends started but having the blame on you." 

“I never had siblings; wouldn’t know what that’s like.” Toy shrugged a bit and started washing the dishes. He finished up and looked at Loki. “I was always alone.”

"I always wanted to be alone." Loki side. "I liked being alone." 

“It’s nice sometimes. You can do and say whatever you want and there’s nobody there to bother you about it. Then you get lonely.” Tony said with a bit of a sigh. For as much as he loved having the space to be able think and let his mad genius run free, he also missed having someone to talk to. 

Loki shrugged. "I see how it would be that way when you have always been alone." 

Tony looked at Loki curiously. “I don’t think I was made to be around people. They don’t make sense really.” He shrugged. He loved to socialize, but most of the time he was just watching the way the rest of the world acted around him. 

Loki shrugged. "Not everyone is meant to be around people."

Tony chuckled a bit and nodded. “I learned that the hard way. Bruce is nice though.” He reached for his coffee and finished it up, sighing. 

“Jarvis, what’s the weather like today?”

“It will be a bit warm, though it will be raining most of the day Sir.”

Loki nodded. "Well I'll be in my room if you need me." 

Tony watched the god go back to his room then looked away. He stared out the window for a moment then pulled out his phone. 

“Hunting for another date, Sir?”

“Yep.” Tony picked a random number from his contact list.

Loki got into his room and took off his clothes until he was in his underwear. He slowly began stretching and working out all the knots and kinks from his body.

Tony went to his room and bathed, cleaning up a bit before getting dressed. Might as well look nice before a date, even if it would end with him naked. He checked his phone and smirked a bit at the text. 

"Mr. Laufeyson, Mr. Stark is going to be having company again." Jarvis informed. 

Tony drank some water and checked a few things on his phone. Fury had replied; seemed he liked the security system.

Loki came out a few minutes later to get a few things and then back to his room to tune out anything.

Tony put his phone on the island and looked at the god. “Oh hey, if you hear screaming from my room, don’t worry about it.” He grinned, though his eyes traveled Loki’s figure slowly.

Loki ignored him altogether.

Tony scoffed bit and rolled his eyes then walked to the door when his guest arrived. Andrea, that’s what her name was. He remembered because she had a tramp stamp of it, though he couldn’t understand why. He let the model in and charmed her with a few jokes and a drink.

“Is Miss Potts not in the picture?”

“No, we snapped a long time ago.” He gave a little smile.


	30. Chapter 30

Loki sighed. "I wish we could shape shift." he said. 

“If it is any consolation, she will be gone in a few hours Mr. Laufeyson. Mr. Stark prefers to be alone but often times he seeks out company, even if it is only momentary. Though I must say, he seeks out these female companions less often since you arrived.”

"But that doesn't mean I don't want to shift." Loki said again. 

“If you do not mind me asking, just what can you shift into?” Jarvis asked rather curiously. 

"Anything living." Loki said. "Animals, peoples, insect. I can't shift into plants though."

“That sounds like quite an amazing gift to possess. It must have been quite difficult to learn, I imagine.”

"Extremely." Loki replied. 

“Your brother mentioned once that your magic and Midgardian science are very similar, if not quite the same. Is this true?”

"Yes." Loki nodded. "The way your science mixes things together to get what you use to heal people. We make creams and salves the same way with our magic." 

“That is quite fascinating. Might I ask then how you use technology? From what I remember of your previous venture in New York, you seemed quite skilled with some of the simpler machines.”

"Jarvis that was not my first time to Midgard." he said. "I have come many times before and watched humans evolve and destroy the land they were given." 

“And you have learned of technology from that?” Jarvis was curious as to just how much Loki knew as far as machines were concerned.

Yes." he said. "I can do a great deal." he said. 

“That is quite interesting. Perhaps you could tell Mr. Stark; I’m sure he’d love to take you into his lab for some fun. He rarely meets anyone interested in his work.”

"I'm not as interested as you'd like to think Jarvis." In truth he really was. 

“I see. I apologize then for being too forward.” The AI replied. 

Andrea left some hours later with a giggle and a kiss on Tony’s cheek. He saw her to the door, being polite then closed the door and sighed. He looked around at the living room then went to the bar and poured himself a drink. 

“A bit late, don’t you think Sir?”

“I’m only having one.”

Loki finally walked out of his room. "Your Midgardian ale is weak." he said.

Tony looked at the god and chuckled a bit, finishing his drink in one gulp. “You should give my Reindeer Rum a try. I got Thor drunk on it.”

Loki shrugged and finished collecting something to eat before heading back to him room. 

Tony stared at the god as he walked off then ran his hands over his face.

“Shall I get you some work Sir?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Tony went down to his lab, water bottle in hand.

Loki sighed. Getting up he went down to the lab and watched Stark for a few moments before popping his head in on him. 

Tony was engrossed in his work. He started on a project-more of a joke really-but ended up getting really into the idea. He moved from one table to another, his eyes wide as he worked. 

“All right, let’s do this again!”

“Sir, might I suggest actually wearing your goggles this time?”

Tony was covered in soot smudges and a few cuts and bruises. 

Under Jarvis' instruction Loki stepped back out just in case something went wrong.

Tony slipped on some goggles and safety glasses then went back to the experiment. He grabbed one of the massive power cables and plugged it into the side of his machine then backed away slightly. 

“Fire it up!”

Loki watched with pure amazement as the machine came to life. 

Tony grinned when the machine began to hum steadily. “I’m a genius!”

“Arguably so Sir. All stats appear to be normal and it seems to be functioning well with only 14 percent anomalies in the system.”

“Scan and fix for issues then test it.” Tony said then pulled up his goggles once the metal cooled down. He walked over to the machine, a build off of a project his father had started with hover technology. While it wasn’t perfect, it was certainly much better than using tons of pressure just to lift a small object. 

“Scanning and fixing now Sir. Also, your coffee is ready.” 

“Great.” Tony pulled off his gloves and turned, heading towards the door.

When he came out Loki looked at him. "I would like to join you in your lab if that is acceptable." Loki said. 

Tony paused and looked at Loki curiously. The god wanted to go into the lab? He felt slightly flattered and smiled a bit. 

“Sure. Let me just get some coffee.” He poured himself a cup then headed back downstairs with Loki. “Just be careful not to touch anything. I have everything organized a certain way.”

“Tossed about is more accurate.” Jarvis said.

“I understand my mess.”

Loki gripped his hands into fists. "This is maddening." Loki said. Loki liked order. He craved it even. "This is a level of chaos that even I can't handle." 

Tony smiled a bit and chuckled. “That might be how you see it, but I can’ have it any other way.” He grabbed some mesh gloves and goggles them to Loki. “Here, put these on.   
Don’t want you getting hurt.”

"I'll hurt myself trying to clean up this mess." he said. "Please clean it up." 

Tony just laughed and shook his head. “The mess makes sense to me.” He shrugged then went back to his machine and turned it on. He waited a moment then grinned when it began to levitate and hover. “Beautiful. Jarvis.”

“Net force is quite strong; over ten thousand tons. I would highly suggest not sticking your fingers directly under the machine. It is, however, quickly dispersing the pressure.” 

“Good.”

Loki watched him work for a few moments. He was still bothered by the mess and wanted very badly to clean it up. 

Tony glanced at the god as he tested the machine and grinned playfully. “You’re really OCD about cleaning, huh?” 

"What's OCD?" Loki asked.

“Obsessive compulsive disorder. Don’t feel bad though; I do it sometimes but with organizing my room.” Tony gave a little grin then finished testing the machine. “All right, let’s see about putting this on the cars.”

“Might I suggest your corvette Sir? It is lighter than the others and would put much less strain on the machine.”

Loki looked at him. He'd found out what cars were and what makes and models they came in. He found the information to be dull. "What does the machine do?" 

Tony looked at the god and smiled, slightly proud of himself. “Nothing special, actually. It levitates without using extreme pressure to defy gravity. See, normally levitation doesn’t work too well because the force of gravity is pulling you down, so to levitate, you need to counteract it. This,” He held up the machine then let it go and it floated in place. “Does that without creating a massive crater in the ground.”

"But I thought your suit made you fly so why do you need to levitate?" he questioned. 

“Oh it’s not for my suit. This can be used for other things. Think about it: a hiker stuck under a boulder or someone stuck up on a high ledge. You turn this on and they can levitate down safely without any height restrictions. People could get out of burning buildings safely with one of these!” Tony spoke with a certain gleam in his eyes. It was bright and proud, though rather rare. He was so happy when he could make things so amazing. 

"What a waste it was for you Midgardians to destroy your gifted sorcerers in the name of your god church."

“Hey, I didn’t have anything to do with that. Besides, I don’t believe in God.” Tony shrugged and turned off the machine. “Humans do a lot of stupid things, no sense in getting stuck on it.” He said as he looked at the god. 

Loki shrugged. "True." 

Tony took off the metal gloves and opened up one of his suits. It needed some fixes in the main wiring. “Wanna see this?” He grinned a bit at the god.

Loki nodded coming closer to take a look. 

Tony grinned a bit. It was nice to have someone interested in his work. He started showing Loki which wires were connected where and what they did. 

“This is basically how Jarvis functions too. Yellow wires are the ones that tap into minor security. See this,” He showed Loki one of the wires he was working with this. “This is how my suit identifies who you are and how to react.”

"What about these red wires here?" he asked.

“Those are for the more major defense of the machine. It only functions for the weapons and defense shields I have in the tower and in my suits.” Tony charged up the blaster. 

“See? The red wires are live. If you touch em you can feel them getting warm.”

Loki reached forward to hold one. "I don't feel the warmth."


	31. Chapter 31

Tony turned off the blaster and set his glove down. "Usually takes a while before the wires start to heat up. The energy gets lost in heat as it's conducted." He took a sip of his water. "Jarvis has more wires though. He handles a lot more so he needs more connections." Tony opened up a panel in the back wall to show the god. "See?"  
"So what else can Jarvis do?" he asked.   
"Almost anything really. He controls all the functions of the tower. Simple appliances and even the more complex stuff like the machines in here. He handles connections coming in and out of the tower. And anything else he can control the suit to do. Like the time he made me an omelet for breakfast." Tony grinned a bit.  
"And when he had the suits build that library." Loki stated.  
"I am grounded to not only this tower but to Mr. Stark's home in California."   
"He also follows me in the suits. I can move him into most other systems back hacking it and letting him through the firewall. That's how I can get into systems without being there." Tony added in.   
"Could you have let me out of that containment cell?" he asked.  
Tony looked at the god and guilt crossed his face. He glanced away but nodded, despite his better judgment. "I could have opened the cell, but Fury never let me anywhere near the cells after they brought you in. I wouldn't have been able to help you without making things worse."  
"I plan on having my revenge on him if I ever get my powers back."   
"Heh, there's a long line of people that want revenge on the guy. You might have to wait a little bit for that." Tony said with a half-smile.  
"Sir, Mr. Odinson has returned. He is waiting for you upstairs."  
Tony nodded. "I'll be right back. You can wait in here if you want." He said to Loki then headed up.   
Like Loki was actually going to move. He had no reason to go and see his brother.   
Tony went up and smiled when he saw Thor. "So?"  
"My father has consented. Heimdall has been watching Loki and is quite pleased with his progress. My brother will be granted limited access to his magic during any missions."  
"Great, that's great!" Tony knew this was just tiny part of the fight however. He still had to get Loki to agree and worse, he had to get Fury to agree. "Thanks a lot for that."  
Thor nodded and looked at Tony almost sheepishly. "May I see my brother? Please?"  
Tony looked at the god and hesitated a moment. "I don't know if he wants to see you right now."  
"Please Man of Iron, I have not seen my brother in many months now. I do not know how he fairs." Thor said. "I wish to see it for my own eyes and not through the eyes of another."   
Tony sighed a bit and nodded. "I'll go talk to him and see if I can get him to come upstairs. Stay here." He said to the thunder god like he was commanding a dog. He knew Thor wasn't exactly the best at being sensitive about certain things. The playboy went down to his lab. "Your brother wants to see you."   
"Good for him I don't want to see him." Loki replied.   
Tony nodded a bit. "I thought not. Well, I'll be right back; got some news for you." He smiled a bit and went back upstairs. "He really doesn't want to see you right now. I'm sorry." Tony looked at Thor apologetically.   
Thor sighed. "Then at least let me see him. I don't have to talk to him I just want to see him with my own eyes."  
Tony nodded and led the thunder god down the stairs. "There he is. He's been eating pretty well lately. He's gaining weight, so that's good."  
Thor frowned. He could tell his brother had lost weight. "Why did he stop eating to begin with?" Thor asked.   
Tony looked at thunder god then away and shrugged. If he told Thor about the things Loki went through, there was no way he'd let Fury live. "I dunno. Guess he was still adjusting to not being in a cell."  
"You will continue to tell me how he fares, yes?" Thor looked at Tony with sadness in his eyes, yet a small glimmer of hope.   
"Yeah, yeah I'll keep you posted."  
"Thank you." Thor said. "Our mother worries for him as well." Thor said. "She wishes to come and see him soon."  
Tony got an idea just then. He smiled a bit. "Here, I'll give you something to take to your mom." Tony pulled out his phone and turned on the camera then zoomed in on Loki. "Loki, smile!" He grinned and snapped a picture.  
Loki had a confused look on his face. Frowning he glared.   
"My mother will come to see him for herself." Thor said.  
Tony looked at the thunder god. "That might be a problem Point Break. I'm not even really allowed to let you see him." He took Thor back upstairs. "Jarvis get some pictures printed off for me."  
"Of course Sir."  
"Why am I not allowed to see my brother?"  
"Because Fury's a dick."   
"I beg your pardon?"  
Tony sighed. He kept forgetting that Thor didn't understand human lingo.   
"It's part of Loki's probation."  
"But even our criminals are allowed to have visitors." Thor frowned.   
"I know Big Guy, and I'm sorry. If it were up to me he wouldn't even be on probation right now. He'd be home." Tony said as he looked at Thor then handed him the printed pictures, but it wasn't the one he just took. It was all the times Loki had smiled or laughed. "Hope this makes it a little easier on your mom."  
Thor took the photos and sighed. "Thank you man of Iron." Thor nodded to him before taking his leave.   
Tony watched the god go then went back downstairs. "Your mom wanted to see you. You're not technically allowed to have visitors so I sent her some pictures instead." He picked up his water bottle and took a large gulp of it before sitting down.  
Loki sighed. "It's better if she can't see me. To see how far her son has fallen." Loki sighed.   
Tony looked at the god then pulled out another bottle of water from the mini-fridge. He handed it to Loki. "I know it's not my business, but the way your brother put it she's really worried about you."  
Loki shrugged setting the bottle of water down. "I'm going upstairs. Thank you for showing me around your work space." Loki left him.  
Tony watched Loki go and sighed a bit.   
"Jarvis, put my music on for me."  
"I believe you did the right thing Sir." The AI said then turned the music on in the lab. Tony sat there a moment then got up and went back to work.   
Loki mopped around his room for a few hours, wallowing in his own self-pity.   
Tony worked on his new machine for a few hours before going back upstairs. He knew it was generally a good idea to let Loki cool off after what had happened. The playboy looked towards Loki's room then walked over and knocked on the door.   
"Loki?"  
"Yes?" Loki answered.  
Tony looked into the room. "I'm sorry about the pictures. I just thought it would be a nice thing to do." He smiled apologetically and sighed a bit. "Look umm, what would you say if I told you that I could get you off probation?"  
Loki looked back at him. "How?" he asked.   
"Help on missions. I talked to Thor and your dad agreed to give you limited access to your magic if you help SHIELD on field missions." Tony prayed the god would agree to it, though he would understand if Loki didn't want to work with the same people that put him in a cell. "It would have to be secret since Fury would never let you help, but I think it's worth a try."  
"I'll do it." Loki said.  
Tony blinked, somewhat surprised then grinned slowly. "Seriously? All right. We'll have to keep it hush-hush, but I think we can pull it off. Next time we get called out, I'll have Jarvis fly you to the site in a suit. Use your magic to help us out and pretty soon Fury will have to let you off probation."  
"I have no armor." Loki said. "You must get my armor back from your Cyclopes."   
Tony forgot about that little detail. Although he'd certainly love to, breaking into SHIELD wasn't exactly easy and stealing was only worse.   
"I can give you something temporary until we can get your old armor back."  
"Sir, I believe I may have a solution. You did design all of SHIELD's new security system, remember?"  
Tony looked down in thought for a moment, his mind running every possibility before he got a gleam in his eyes.   
"I've got it. Okay, I can get your armor in five hours." Tony turned on his heel suddenly and nearly ran back into his lab.   
"Jarvis!"  
"I'm running anti-firewalls and hacking the systems now Sir."  
Loki stood feel an old yet familiar feeling course through his body.   
Tony went down to his lab and started getting to work on isolating the room where Loki's armor was held. If he planned this right, he'd be able to get the armor and nobody would even notice. He'd just slip in something else as a place holder.  
"What's the security like?"  
"Very lax Sir, though the room is not the issue. The security leading to the room is much stronger."  
"What are we looking at?"  
"Two guards every twenty feet and constant video surveillance."  
Jarvis continued to work on the system to get through but he still needed to figure out how to get past the guards.   
"Anyway I could get some bots in there?"  
"I suppose so. I could perforate the outer wall and get directly into the case. It would be possible to retrieve the armor slowly that way."  
"All right. How many bots would it take?"  
"That would depend on how many parts there are to the armor. It could take quite a while, but it can be done."

"All right. Let's get started."


	32. Chapter 32

Jarvis finished running through all the information and double checking everything. "Sir one hour until I'm into the system." 

“All right. You just stay low until I get these things built.”

“There are some spare parts you could use with minimal work Sir.”

Tony went over and scrounged up some pieces. “Get my coffee going Jarvis.”

“Right away Sir.”

"Of course Sir." Jarvis got a pot going for him.

Tony got to work on the bots, working through most of the night until he got four done. 

“All right. Send these in and try to get as much as you can. I’ll make some more in a bit.” Tony went upstairs to get more coffee. He’d been living off it all night. 

"Sir are you sure you don't want to handle this?" he asked. 

“I’m not sneaky Jarvis, I thought we established that. If I try to go in myself I’ll get caught then Fury will find out everything else. At least this way it won’t be obvious.”

"Very well, Sir." he said. 

Tony stifled a yawn and set the bots out, running a few tests on them to make sure they would work. 

“Are you running on these things?”

“Yes Sir, I have been uploaded and can run the bots.”

“Good. Pull up a map of SHIELD then zero in on the cell.” Tony looked at the map Jarvis pulled up and looked it over. “You can go in through here, drill up into the cell and directly into the box.”

“Yes Sir. If I bury just three feet under the room I should avoid any underground security SHIELD has.”

Jarvis also looked at the possibility of going through the ventilation system as well. 

“I can get in through the ground with minimal detection as well as the ventilation Sir.”

“All right. Go ahead and take them there then.”

“Of course Sir. The droids are programmed to travel at a maximum speed of thirty miles per hour underground. This will take quite some time.”

“Keep me updated on this.”

"Certainly, Sir." 

Loki had come out of his room. He wanted there to be a reason for him to join the other's on a mission. He wanted to feel his magic coursing through his veins once more. 

Tony went back upstairs for some more coffee. It was early afternoon already? Where did the day go? He poured himself a cup then noticed Loki. 

“I built some bots. They’re on their way to get your armor out of SHIELD.”

"Thank you." Loki smiled.

Tony smiled back, feeling a little giddy to have made the god happy. “I’m trying to make things right.” He looked at Loki apologetically. “And this was the best thing I could come up with.”

Loki nodded. "I know, thank you." 

Tony smiled a bit and nodded. “How many pieces are there in your armor? I need to know how many more runs the bots need to make.”

"Five." Loki replied. 

“All right. Thought there’d be more. Jarvis.”

“I’ve already rewired the bots’ path Sir. They will bring back the five pieces then replace them with scrap from one of your suit prototype.”

“Good.” Tony grinned a bit. “You want pudding? Cause I bought some more.” He offered.

Loki perked up. "Yes please."

Tony walked into the kitchen with the god and pulled out two cups of pudding. He set them on the island then grabbed some spoons as well.

“My mom always used to pack pudding for me when I was a kid. She’d put one in my lunchbox and I’d eat that and then give the rest of my food to someone else.” He chuckled a bit as he remembered that. 

"The closest thing we have to pudding is custard for pastries."

Tony’s brows raised in disbelief. “Seriously?” Tony shook his head and took a bite of his pudding. “That’s crazy.”

"I hate custard." he replied. 

Tony laughed a bit and shook his head. “Not my favorite either.” He ate some more of the pudding then licked his lips. “Can I ask you an honest question?”

"Depends on the question if I want to give you an answer." he said. 

“When was the last time you had sex?” He was genuinely curious, though Tony also had the inability to keep stupid questions to himself. 

Loki shrugged. "I don't know."

Tony shook his head. “That’s sad. You know I bet it would help you relax if you some. I know this chick that can do things with her tongue that wouldn’t believe.” Tony shuddered a bit. “Unless you’re into guys. I know a few of those too.”

"I'm not getting into bed with anyone." Loki said.

“Not even me?” Tony gave a playfully innocent smile, though he knew most likely the god would say no. Or rather, Loki would probably death-glare a hole into his face. 

Loki did turn a glare on him. "No." 

Tony couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “It was worth a shot. All right, no sex. How about we go out? I’ve got complete control of Fury’s surveillance; we can up to ten blocks away from the tower without being noticed.”

Loki smiled and nodded. "Then lead the way." 

Tony quickly finished his pudding cup then pulled on some shoes and a jacket. It was misting outside, though it was nothing a good jacket couldn’t handle. He glanced out for a moment. 

“Jarvis?”

“You’re in the clear Sir.”

Tony grinned and walked out with Loki. He shuddered a bit, not expecting it to be so cold. 

Loki wasn’t bothered by the cold. "This feels nice." 

Tony shook slightly as they walked. “I should have grabbed my other jacket.” He glanced around as they walked, making their way to the sidewalk. 

"Asgard would be getting ready for their winter this time of year."

“Oh yeah? People here are starting, or some of em anyway. Most people are going to leave it off then whine that they didn’t get ready.” Tony’s chin began to quiver slightly from the cold. He looked up ahead and smiled when they reached a small stand. “Coffee.”

The woman at the stand nodded and looked at Loki. It was obvious she had no idea who the god was. “And you?”

"Tea." the god replied. 

The woman nodded and got started on both their drinks. She handed each man a Styrofoam cup. 

“Sugar and cream are right there. That’ll be four ten.”

Tony got the money out and handed it to the woman, not bothering to add anything to his coffee. 

Loki added sugar and cream to his tea. Mixing it well he took a sip and smiled.

Tony continued the little walk alongside Loki, sipping his coffee. “I know we agreed not to talk about it, but I wanna hear about your kids.” Tony looked at the god. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’m curious.”

"I have three children. Two sons and a daughter." Loki replied. "My first son lives in Asgard and is looked after by Odin. I am not allowed to see him and when do it is only glimpses. My daughter is the ruler of Helheim. My second son wanders the nine. Whether he is looking for me I don't know." 

Tony looked at Loki and nodded a bit. “I’m sorry you can’t see your kids. Why aren’t you allowed to see them?” He sipped his coffee then sniffled a bit when he felt his nose start to run.

"I rather not talk about it."

Tony nodded. “Okay. Tell me about your kids then. What’s…umm, what are they like?” He couldn’t remember the names and he certainly wasn’t going to try pronouncing them.

"If you don’t mind can we please stay off the topic of children all together?"

“All right. What do you wanna talk about then?” Tony sipped his coffee then pulled the cup away from his mouth when he sneezed again.

"Share with me the knowledge you know of Midgard." Loki said. 

Tony chuckled a bit and nodded. “All right, but I’ve got to warn you, I know more stuff about science and math than anything else. What do you wanna know?”

"Many of your animals we do not have in Asgard. Such as whales, elephants, and alligators." 

Tony smiled a bit. “Well,” He pulled out his phone and started showing Loki some pictures. “Personally I like bugs more. They’re a lot cooler to look at.” He showed Loki one picture after another. “Here are some different kinds of whales.” He sneezed again, turning his head away.

"We don't have any." Loki said. 

“You’re missing out on a lot. Maybe one day I’ll take you to the aquarium. They have killer whales there.” He showed Loki some video clips of whales singing to each other. 

"Elk are fun." Loki said. "They taste better than the cows you eat."

“Hey, don’t you insult my burgers.” Tony said with a little pout then turned his head away to sneeze again. He flipped through some other pictures. “Oh, here’s one you’ll like.” He chuckled and showed Loki some funny pictures of cats. 

The only way Loki could look at the pictures was with his head cocked to the side. "My mother's cats are not this funny." 

Tony chuckled a bit. “People like to record their cats when they do something stupid.” He showed Loki a few more videos then showed him pictures of manatees. “Here’s a weird one. You have these in Asgard?”

Loki shook his head. "We have these though. But they're much bigger." he said, pointing to a sting ray.

“Oh yeah? How much bigger?” Tony sipped his coffee, showing Loki a picture of the largest species of ray on earth. “Like this?”

"Bigger than that." he said. "The older they get the more they grow."

Tony’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “That’s insane.” He showed Loki some more pictures then started showing him different species of birds.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comments please and thank you.

"We don't have colorful birds like that."

“We have tons of them. It’s only male birds though. The females always have boring colors so it’s easier for them to hide from predators.” 

Loki sighed. "Crows are favored in Asgard.

“Why’s that?” Tony coughed a bit then took another long sip of his coffee. 

"They are smarter than Midgardians care to think.”

“No, they’re evil.” Tony shook his head a bit then finished his coffee. “And they’re creepy. They just stare at you with these dead eyes.”

"Their eyes aren’t dead." he said.

Tony laughed. “No, it’s an expression.” He sneezed again and sniffled. “Can we go back inside?” He sneezed louder. 

Loki sighed but nodded. He'd at least gotten a few moments outside. 

“Sorry. We can come back outside tom-“ Tony stopped and sneezed again. He groaned a bit as they got back inside. He took off his jacket and shoes, frowning when he saw the bottoms of his pants wet. “Great.”

"You get sick easily don’t you?" he questioned. 

“No.” Tony sniffled then sneezed again. “I actually don’t really get sick.” He sneezed a few times in a row then groaned and went to grab some tissues.

"All the sneezing says otherwise." Loki said. 

“I’m not sick. It’s probably just allergies or something.” Tony sneezed again then blew his nose into the tissues. “I’m fine.” He said defiantly then grabbed some water out of the fridge.

"Jarvis keep the redheaded one on standby." Loki said. 

"Yes, Sir." Jarvis replied. 

“Hey, I’m not sick!” Tony said upset. 

“Sir, there is nothing wrong with taking precautions. Or must I remind you of the time you caught stomach flu and Ms. Potts was indisposed?”

Loki chuckled as Tony hung his head. 

Tony rolled his eyes and sipped his water. “I’m fine.” He said rather haughtily and looked through his phone. 

"Remember he said that Jarvis." Loki chuckled. 

“Oh I most certainly will.”

Tony just shook his head. “I’m fine!”

The next morning he certainly wasn’t so. Tony was sprawled out on the couch, complaining that it was too hot in his bed. He lay with a single thin blanket over his legs. 

“Now will you take the medication Sir?”

“Don’t be a smart ass!” Tony frowned and tried to get to his feet.

"Sir, please don't make me call Ms. Potts." Jarvis said. 

“I’m taking the damn medicine.” Tony snapped back at Jarvis, grumbling as he stood and stumbled into the kitchen. He was woozy from the fever and reached for the medication. 

“Please make sure you take it as recommended Sir.”

“I know, I know.” Tony takes two orange liquid-gels out of the packet and pops them into his mouth. 

Loki had gone on to bed leaving Stark with himself so he could figure out what he was going to do. 

Tony coughed after he swallowed the pills then dragged himself back to the couch. He lay down and sighed.

“Jarvis, why’s it so hot?”

“Because you have a fever Sir.” 

Jarvis lowered the temperature in the room for him. "Please try to rest a bit Sir." 

Tony just grumbled and buried himself in his little blanket, pulling it up to his face. He sighs, resting his head back against the pillows. His eyes feel so heavy and tired that they close and he passes out without even noticing. 

Loki came out of his room to check on Stark for a moment. 

Tony was spread out all over the couch, his mouth hanging open because he couldn’t breathe through his nose. 

Loki watched him for a few moments. "Humans are strange." 

“They certainly are Mr. Laufeyson, though Mr. Stark is quite beyond even the regular scope of ‘weird’.” The AI added. Ever since Tony had created him he’d known the man for nothing but his extravagances. 

Tony mumbled a bit as he slept and turned over then whined and tensed up a bit. 

Loki sighed. He knew Stark would be too sick to hear him. "Do we have anything that could make him better?" he asked. 

“He has taken medication already. I’ll wake him later in the evening so he can take some more, but his system will have to get rid of this on its own. Thankfully, I’ve never known him to be sick more than three days.”

Tony turned over again, clutching at his pillow and muttering under his breath. He opened his eyes slowly and reached for the tissues, his breathing heavy. 

“Jarvis, Jarvis.”

“You’re fine Sir, simply having some delirium from your fever. Please go back to sleep.”

“What’s going on?” Tony looked around, though his eyes were still half-shut. 

“You’re ill Sir.”

Loki had gone back off to his room once more telling Jarvis to call him if he needed any help. 

"Sir, please relax and calm down. Everything is alright." 

Tony scoffed and looked around, frowning. “Where am I?”

“The tower Sir. You fell ill yesterday and have been sleeping on your couch.”

Tony shook his head then flopped back on the couch. “Jarvis, I’m sick.”

“Yes Sir.”

Loki had put a cool clothe on Stark's head. Pepper was on the other side of the country and couldn't get away yet.

Tony grumbled quietly and opened his eyes, looking at Loki. “Who’re you?”

“That’s Mr. Laufeyson Sir.” Jarvis deadpanned. “You’ll have to excuse him Mr. Laufeyson; his fever is making him a tad delirious.”

Tony adjusted himself on the couch, sighing at the feel of the cool cloth on his forehead. 

Loki sighed. Taking a knee before the other he held his hands over the other and let his natural powers take control.

Tony shifted a bit when he felt the temperature in the room drop a bit. He blinked his eyes open and squinted around then looked at Loki. 

“What are you doing?”

"Lowering your fever." Loki said. 

Tony hummed in response, closing his eyes. “It feels really nice.” He sighed content, smiling a bit. “You know, I like you. You’re mean to me but I like you.”

Loki chuckled. "He certainly is out of it, isn't he?" 

“Mr. Stark is oddly honest when ill.” Jarvis said with a bit of a sigh. 

“I’m telling the truth!” Tony whined a bit and pouted. “You’re really cute when you smile.” Tony said as he looked at the god. “I like seeing you smile.”

Loki looked at him. "You're delirious." he said. 

“And when you’re nice to me it’s even better.” Tony just kept rambling, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the feel of cool air on his fevered skin. “You’re the first person I ever wanted to look cool for.”

"Well you should stop. I'm not impressed." He lied. 

Tony stopped and opened his eyes, looking at Loki and he smiled slightly. “Yes you are. I mean, everybody’s always impressed, but you’re actually interested. Not many people actually care when I tell them about the wires in my suit or how I programmed Jarvis. I like you.”

"Jarvis when is he going to stop talking?" Loki asked.

"Not as long as he is awake." Jarvis said. 

"Don’t be smart." Loki replied.

“I’m sorry Mr. Laufeyson, but Mr. Stark can be quite chatty even when he isn’t ill.” 

Tony chuckled a bit, his eyes drooping shut. “You guys talking about me?”

“Yes Sir.” 

"Go to sleep Stark. You won't get any better if you're up talking to us." Loki said. 

“Pfft, I’m fine!” Tony pouted and snuggled up under his blanket. He looked at Loki, his eyes heavy. “I like you.” He yawned and started to doze off. 

Loki left him to sleep. 

"Tell me if his fever gets to high again." Loki ordered.

"Shall do Sir." 

“I would like to thank you for helping Mr. Stark.” Jarvis said to the god. 

"You don't need to thank me." 

“I really must. Other than Ms. Potts and Dr. Banner, there are not many that remain at Mr. Stark’s side.” Jarvis continued. 

"Consider my aid to his health to be payment for saving me." Loki said.

“Again, I thank you.” Jarvis said. “I’ve taken the liberty of ordering a few new books for you. I noticed you were almost done with the last ones Mr. Stark purchased for you.”

Loki chuckled. "Thank you Jarvis." 

“Of course Mr. Laufeyson.” Jarvis adjusted the temperature in Loki’s room. 

Loki settled in and fell asleep again.


	34. Chapter 34

Tony woke up some time later for some more tea. He sniffled and hobbled into the kitchen with the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. 

Tony looked like a little kid all wrapped up in his blanket. Loki remembered Thor looking like that on a few occasions. 

Tony sniffled and took a large whiff of his tea. The steam opened up his nose a bit and he sighed before taking a sip. He turned and hobbled back to the couch.

Loki finally came around and got up. "I guess I should feed him?" He asked.

"That would be wise." Jarvis chuckled. 

Tony looked through the fridge, sniffling more. He sneezed and his head throbbed slightly from the sinus pressure. 

“Sir, would you please lie down and allow me to make you a soup?”

“I can do it Jarvis!” Tony said angrily, though his throat was sore.

"No you can't." Loki said, coming into the kitchen. "Now lay down and let me cook for you." 

Tony pouted at Loki upset but then went and shuffled back to the couch. He huffed and plopped down. “Fine! Now I’m an invalid.”

"Over dramatic." He said.

“I am not!” Tony whined from his place on the couch. He sniffled then reached for the tissues before sneezing.

Loki got to work on some broth for Stark to drink. He wouldn't be able to eat much else anyway.

Tony sniffled a bit and glanced over, watching Loki. “Why are you being so nice?”

“People tend to do that Sir.” Jarvis said. 

"Just accept it and stop arguing with me." 

Tony pouted. “Don’t be mean.” He curled up on the couch, sighing and then sipped his tea.

When the soup was ready Loki poured it into a cup and went to take it to Stark.

Tony took the soup and sighed at the warmth of it in his fingers. He sipped it slowly. “You’re so nice. And you smell good.” Tony said, still in a bit of a haze.

"I'll thank you for the compliment but you have to eat all of the soup." he said. 

Tony sniffled a bit then finished sipping his soup. He sighed content. “This is really good.”

"I should hope so." Loki smiled.

Tony finished the soup off and set the cup down. “It was really good.” He smiled content, snuggling into his blanket.

"Good." Loki smiled. 

Tony blew his nose and groaned a bit. “Jarvis, do I have anything for the sinus pressure?”

“Yes, you have something Sir.” The AI took control of one of Tony’s suits and took it up to the kitchen.

Loki went back to his room. Stark was well enough if he could complain about something.

Tony watched the god go then took the pills and fresh tea his suit handed him. 

“Thanks Jarvis.”

“Of course Sir. I figured I should allow Mr. Laufeyson a break from being your nanny.”

Tony shot the suit a tight smile then took the medicine.

Loki sighed as he settled in on his bed. "Jarvis what is there to watch?" he asked. 

“Most anything Sir, it all depends on what it is you’re interested in. There are plenty of shows on the Discovery channel; I do believe it could satiate your curiosity of Earth.”

"Put one on for me then please?" 

"Certainly Sir." Jarvis said.

Jarvis pulled up the show for Loki. 

Tony finally got to his feet when his head stopped throbbing and dragged himself to his room. 

"Sir please try to get some more sleep." Jarvis insisted.

“I know, I will.” Tony groaned quietly then flopped over on his bed. He sighed; the sheets felt cool on his skin. He crawled under the covers and snuggled up to his pillow.

"Sleep well, Sir." Jarvis said. 

Loki was watching the program about different cultures in the world. 

"He's asleep Mr. Laufeyson." Jarvis said. 

"Good." 

Jarvis changed the channel when the program was over to the history of Ancient Greece. 

Tony meanwhile slept like a baby. 

Loki watched with great interest as the empire rose and fell.

Jarvis changed the programs as Loki finished watching each until it was morning. Jarvis faded out the volume as the god fall asleep. 

Loki woke up in the early afternoon and went to check on Stark.

Tony was awake. Doing better, but still clearly ill. He had some fresh soup and tea in his room and was looking over plans on his tablet. 

“Jarvis, apply the changes to my suit.” He sneezed loudly and reached for the tissues. 

"Don't you ever rest?" he asked. 

Tony looked at the god and sniffled then blew his nose. “No. No if I rest too long I get bad ideas and then it’s all I can think about and then I drink then Jarvis gets mad and…” He stopped only to sneeze. 

Loki shook his head. "Calm down." he said. "You should still rest."

Tony blew his nose again and groaned a bit. “Look, you’re sweet but I can’t get up to my bar so I’d rather just keep my head busy.” He sneezed again and whimpered quietly. He’d kill for a hot bath. “Jarvis, turn on the tub.”

"You'll have to give up the bottle one of these days. It'll kill you."

“Give me a reason and I’ll quit.” Tony looked at the god then got to his feet, sneezing loudly again. He groaned and lumbered into the bathroom, stripping as he walked over. “Ah, it’s so nice in here.” He sighed relieved at all the steam.

"Your life." he said.

Tony glanced back at the god then walked into the bathroom. He slipped his underwear off and let them fall before climbing into the tub. He sighed out relieved and sank into the warm water. 

“I think I’ll just sleep here.”

“I would go against it Sir, though a short nap would suffice.” 

Loki left Stark to his bath not wanting to see the man any more exposed then he already had.

Tony sighed relaxed and let his body melt in the tub. He closed his eyes and smiled when he felt his nose open up again. 

Loki for some reason only wanted to sleep. "Jarvis, is there something wrong with me?" he asked. 

“I have been monitoring you quite carefully Mr. Laufeyson, though I’m afraid I would not detect foreign bodies in your system since I assume you cannot contract viruses from Earth. I have thus determined that you are fatigued though it may be from oversleeping.”

"What should I do?" he asked. Loki had always had such a structured life that he was up with the sun and went to bed late. At shield he got little up again because they kept him on his feet.

“I would suggest reading, but you seem to have exhausted your books at this point and the new ones do not arrive until tomorrow. What were your hobbies in Asgard?”

"Practicing my spells, riding horses, the occasional sparring session."

“If you like you may spar with one of the suits again. As far as horseback riding, I am unsure if that would be very possible. Mr. Stark has a terrible fear of horses and….”

“I’m not scared of horses!” Tony shouted as he stepped out of his room, wearing a bathrobe and socks. He glared at the ceiling then walked into the kitchen. 

"Shut up and go to bed." Loki ordered. 

Tony stuck his tongue out at the god then went into the kitchen to get some more tea. He sniffled a bit and sipped it slowly. 

Loki sighed as they settled in.

Tony went over and sat on the couch, sipping his tea quietly. 

“What’s the matter with you?” The playboy looked at Loki. 

“I do not mean to speak out of turn Sir, but there is not very much for him to do in the tower.” Jarvis interjected. 

“What?” 

“Not everyone aspires to become a hermit in a lab.” 

Tony scowled at the ceiling. 

"Boredom, Stark is a terrible thing." he said. That was when Loki started getting lost in his head again and the thoughts came back. 

“You don’t have to tell me that.” Tony sniffled. “So what do you wanna do? I can build you another room or something.” He offered it as if were really no big deal. Of course, all things considered, Loki was probably used to that kind of treatment, what with being royalty. 

“He mentioned horseback riding.”

Tony tensed a bit. “Fine. I can build you a stable and…whatever horses need.”

"Don't." he said to him. Getting up Loki ruffled his hair before doing a hand stand.

Tony just blinked and stared at the god. Loki’s shirt flopped and showed the god’s shapely back. The playboy swallowed then quickly looked away, thankful his fever hid the blush on his cheeks. 

“You want anything else then?” Tony sneezed. 

Loki brought his feet down so there was an arch in his back. "I want to go home. I want my magic. I want my life back."

Tony looked at the god and sighed a bit. “You’ll get it back, I promise.” He smiled a bit. “I’ve been hacking Fury’s systems lately. We might have a case soon.” The playboy sneezed then blew his nose. “You just sneak in and help us out, then after a few weeks we tell Fury.”

Loki sighed as he moved into another position and stayed that way for a few moments. 

Tony felt bad for the god, he really did. Being stuck in one place day after day wasn’t easy.


	35. Chapter 35

"We'll get you out of here soon, okay? Then you canﾅyou can go home." Tony smiled a bit, but saying that made him feel lonely already. 

"It will be a long time still before I am welcomed home." 

"I dunno about that. I mean, your dad agreed to give you back your powers, didn't he?" Tony looked at the god then grabbed some more tissues. 

"With limited access. I cannot return until I have earned the right to have my powers back entirely." 

"It'll be easy. You'll be back in no time." Tony paused a moment and blew his nose. He picked up his tea and took a sip. "I promised I'd make this right and I won't stop 'till you're happy."

Loki finally flipped himself back onto his feet.

Tony sniffled a bit. "You really like riding horses?" He asked curiously. 

"Yes." he nodded.

"I could get you a horse to ride you know." Tony sneezed a bit then sniffled and kept talking. "We could smuggle you out of the tower and take you to some farm or something."

"That would be unwise, Sir. Even I could not hold Fury at bay long enough." 

Tony huffed a bit, knowing it was true. "I can get you a stuffed horse." Tony shrugged then sneezed again. He groaned and lay on the couch again. 

"I am going to take a nap." Loki said.

Tony just yawned and nodded. "Have fun." He said in a rather tired voice before slowly dozing off on the couch. 

"Mr. Laufeyson how long have you been that flexible?" Jarvis asked. 

"Always Jarvis." Loki replied. 

"Then perhaps you might like yoga. It is said to be very calming for the body and mind."

The AI pulled up some videos so Loki could have a look at it. Maybe he'd become interested in it and give yoga a try? Tony tried it every so often, though he wasn't patient enough to stick to it. 

Loki gave it a go and found that most positions were very easy to conquer.

Jarvis gave Loki pointers every so often, but the god caught on very quickly. 

"You are quite good at this Mr. Laufeyson."

"Thank you Jarvis." Loki smiled at this. 

"Certainly Sir. And might I say it is a welcome change to see you smile so often."

Tony was passed out on the couch and started to whine a bit as he slept. He turned over, curling into a ball. 

"Is he always this dramatic?" Loki asked. 

"Sometimes it's worse." Jarvis replied.

"I'm afraid Mr. Stark has quite a flare for certain things. He has grown up his entire life surrounded by lights and cameras; he really doesn't know anything else."

"And I have grown up the son of a god-king. I have studied, practiced and fought my way into the eyes of our people. What makes me different?"

"I am not sure. Sadly I do not know very much about your upbringing, but I can assume that you were taught humility by your mother. Mr. Stark did not have much time with his parents; he was usually in the care of a nanny that never paid much attention to him." 

Loki nodded. That much was very true.

"I will say he has calmed down quite a bit since his teenage years. I did not have quite the same functions as I do now, but those were troubling times. Mr. Stark has always been playful and mischievous, but his teen years were the worst."

"Everyone's teen years are the worst." Loki explained. "That when you're trying to figure out who you are and where you belong, what makes you happy and what you want to do with yourself."

"Yes, it is rather difficult, I imagine. Thankfully I have never gone through such a phase." Jarvis said then did a quick scan on Tony to make sure he was all right. 

Loki sighed. "Jarvis please select a film for me I'm going to my room for a while." 

"Of course Mr. Laufeyson." Jarvis pulled up in Loki's room and showed him a few movies he might like. "You may have your choice Sir."

Looking at which ones he had to pick from he choose Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Tony slept for a while longer before waking up some time later. He was feeling much better now, though still a bit sick. He sat up and sneezed. 

"Good to see you awake Sir. Your temperature has dropped."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, you're sitting at an even hundred."

"Now we just need it to break and get you back to full strength and you'll be fine once more."

Tony chuckled a bit and nodded. "Yeah, I feel like it won't last much more. Tomorrow at the latest." He sniffled. 

"Three days as usual." he said. "Perhaps some soup and orange juice?"

"Sounds good." Tony walked into the kitchen and looked around for some canned soup. "Oh damn it, I don't have any."

"I'll have the market send over some right away Sir."

Tony sniffled and sat at the island with his tea. "Thanks Jarvis."

"Of course Sir."

"How's Loki?"

"He did some yoga and is watching movies."

Jarvis had put on a comedy for Loki to watch though he wasn't finding it to be all that funny. Mostly because he didn't understand Midgardian humor.

Tony was relieved when the soup finally arrived. He took it and served himself a bowl then went to check on Loki. 

"Hey, what are you watching?" He glanced at the screen then laughed at some of the jokes. "This is a good one."

"I still don't understand some of it." 

"It'll make more sense the longer you stay here." Tony shrugged as he looked at the god then sipped his soup. "Steve doesn't get a lot of this stuff either."

"What I don't understand is why you mortals make such a big deal about the gender of who you love?" he said. 

Tony shrugged again. "It's just something people have done since the beginning of time. I think it's stupid; I'm bi and I don't see what the big deal is. But people are getting over it, slowly. It's actually a lot easier for same sex couples now than it used to be." He looked at Loki. "How is it on Asgard?"

"Marry whom you please." he said. "In Asgard we don't believe in it at all. Love is love in all its forms. Sure some things are frowned upon but whether it be a man with a man, a maiden with a maiden or a man to a maiden. We do not give a damn."

Tony's brows raised a bit. That certainly wasn't what he was expecting to hear. "Sounds pretty nice." He finished off his soup and sighed a bit. "It'll be a long time before things are like that here."

"You mortals go from one thing to the next." Loki said. "I visited briefly while your country was going through what you now call the civil rights movement. That was stupid also." he said. 

Tony chuckled a bit and shook his head. "We do a lot of stupid things. That's what makes us human."

Loki nodded. "Why do you mortals always base things on what's on the outside and not what's on the inside?

"Cause we're still learning how to behave. People really haven't been around that long, not the way you see us now. We're pretty slow at learning new things. It took hundreds of years before slavery was abolished and people are still fighting for their rights." Tony shrugged. "People are still learning how to be nice to each other."

"Which is why Thanos wanted to take over the Earth. I saw it as well you know. You get so distracted by difference on this planet you would never be able to fend for yourselves."

Tony just nodded quietly then chuckled a bit. "It wouldn't have worked. It takes a lot for people to get over it, but we'd never let ourselves be taken over. War is the one time people can unite under the same belief and stand together."

"You and your comrades were fighting." Loki said. "I know you were." 

"Well yeah we can't stand each other. But when it came to you, we stopped arguing long enough to get the job done." Tony said as he looked at Loki. "And every time we have a mission, we forget how much we hate each other and focus on what we need to do."

"Like they could ever forget that I helped them." he said. 

Tony smiled a bit then sniffled. "Look, they'll open up to you. Once they know the truth they'll let go of what happened. Bruce did and so did Pepper."

"After she wanted to burn me at the stake." Loki sighed. 

"Yeah, Pepper's reallyﾅpassionate sometimes. She's made worse threats at me if it makes you feel any better."

Loki scoffed and turned back to the movie. 

Tony smiled a bit at the god. "All right. I'll let you watch your weird show." He turned and set his bowl in the kitchen, sneezing again.

"Not a show." Loki corrected before he was too far gone.

"Right, right." Tony said then looked through his phone and saw a message from Pepper. 

How are you doing Tony? - Pepper

Tony smiled a bit and replied. 

I'm fine Pep. Just had the flu, that's all. Loki helped take care of me. - Stark 

Pepper smiled at this. 

Good to know you're well looked after. -Pepper.

Tony smiled then sniffled a bit and reached for his tissues. 

How's the meeting going? - Stark 

Still not over. They're going to give us a lunch break in a little bit.- Pepper

Tony chuckled and shook his head then finished tea. 

I'll take you out somewhere special when you get back, okay? -Stark

"Think we could go out to eat at some place other than New York? Or do you have to stay with Loki? -Pepper

We can go out somewhere else. I'll put the tower on lock down and we can be gone for a while. Where did you want to go? -Stark

I want to go to that restaurant you took me to for my birthday a few years back. The one in L.A. -Pepper

I remember that one! We haven't been there in a long time, huh? All right, it's date. -Stark 

Tony sniffled a bit and set the date in his calendar. It would be nice to get some alone with Pepper after so long. 

Good. I'll be back tomorrow and I'll have a flight ready and waiting for us. -Pepper.

See you then. -Stark 

Tony set his phone down then went to tell Loki about his lunch plans with Pepper.


	36. Chapter 36

“Loki?”

"Yes?" he answered.

“I’m taking Pepper out to lunch tomorrow. The place is in another state, so I’ll be gone for a little while. The tower’s gonna be on lock down and Fury’ll send agents to keep watch.” 

Loki looked at him. "You'll make sure they can't get to me?" he asked. 

Tony smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry; they won’t get inside the tower. And I won’t be gone too long, so you’ll be okay.”

Loki nodded. "Thank you." 

Tony just shrugged. “I try. We’ll be leaving pretty early in the afternoon tomorrow so you’ll have the tower to yourself. I gave you new permissions, so as long as you stay inside you’ll be fine.”

“Also, the new books arrive first thing in the morning Mr. Laufeyson.” Jarvis added. 

Loki nodded. The god would be well occupied with himself. He had books, movies, TV and Jarvis to keep him busy for a few hours. 

Tony smiled at Loki then went back to the couch. He sat down, sniffling as he checked any new messages he had. 

“Jarvis.”

“I have informed Director Fury, Sir. Along with some insults, he has said that he will send a few agents over before you leave.”

Loki sighed. The one eyed monster is going to try and test me. "Isn't he?" 

“I would not worry myself if I were you Mr. Laufeyson. Though Director Fury may wish to push your mind, he is not allowed within the tower unless you have caused some harm to yourself or Mr. Stark. And since neither of those has happened, you are quite safe.”

"The only one who really needs help is him." Loki said. 

“I must agree with you there, Mr. Laufeyson.”

Tony grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a large gulp. He was feeling so much better now, it was amazing. 

Loki turned back to the TV to keep watching the show called Criminal Minds. 

Tony went into his room to take a warm shower. Now that he wasn’t groggy it would be easier. 

"Feeling much better Sir?" Jarvis asked.

“Oh yeah, way better than I did yesterday.” Tony said as he undressed and turned on the shower.

"Well there was your one cold for the next three years."

“Yeah, hopefully. I hate getting sick.” Tony got under the hot water and sighed, his muscles relaxing. 

"Start taking better care of yourself and eating at least two meals a day." 

“Yeah, yeah, I will.”

“By the way Sir, I have ordered more groceries since we are running short.”

“Thanks Jarv.”

"You're welcome." he said.

“I want to get a gift for Pep.”

“Might I suggest not giving her jewelry? She truly dislikes it.”

“Yeah, I remember. How about perfume?” Tony finished his shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. 

“There is one she did mention. I shall have it ordered and delivered to the tower.”

Tony dried off and pulled on some clothes then stepped out of his room, sneezing. 

“All right, thanks.”

Pepper arrived a bit earlier than she’d expected the next day. She wore a fresh suit and greeted Tony with a smile. 

“You’re looking better. No more sneezing.”

“A little but I’ll be fine. Here, got you something.”

Pepper sighed. "Don't let it be jewelry again Stark." She said. 

“It’s not, I learned my lesson.” Tony said with a little grin. “You open that and I’ll tell Loki we’re going.” He walked over to the god’s room. “Hey Loki, we’re going out.”

Loki nodded. "Safe travels." he said to him. 

Tony nodded and he headed out with Pepper. 

Fury’s agents had arrived by that time and were stationed outside the tower. Jarvis had it locked down, of course, and had a few of Tony’s suits circling around. 

“Your new books are out in the front room, Mr. Laufeyson.” 

"Thank you Jarvis." Loki smiled going to get the books. One of the suits came to help him out them in the library and put them in an order of sorts.

“So do you like your gift?” Tony asked Pepper as they rode in the private plane. 

“Yes, I do.” She smiled a bit. “Much better than jewelry.”

“Well a little birdie told me you don’t like jewelry anymore.” 

“Thanks Jarvis.”

"You're welcome." Jarvis replied. 

"So how is Loki doing?" She asked. 

“He’s doing okay, all things considered. His weight is healthy now and he’s talking more.” Tony glanced out the window as they started arriving in Los Angeles. “And he likes pudding.”

Pepper chuckled a bit. “I think you might have mentioned that. Doesn’t he get bored sitting around the tower all day?”

“Yeah, he’s getting pretty tired of it by now. I gave him more access to other places in the tower: gym, pool, he has his library. Did you know he likes horseback riding?”

Pepper thought about it and where Loki came from. "I could see how he would." she nodded. 

Tony shuddered and shook his head then got off the plane when they landed. “I don’t get it.”

Pepper just laughed a bit. “Are you scared of horses?”

“No!”

"Yes you are." she said. "Every time someone mentions anything about a horse you flinch."

Tony rolled his eyes, but he did twitch a little bit. He couldn’t help it. Horses were huge and emotionless, at least according to him. Of course it didn’t help that he was a bit on the short side. 

He and Pepper got into a car and they were driven to the restaurant. 

“Horses are evil, okay?”

"They are not. You're just being over dramatic again." Pepper sighed. 

Tony gave Pepper a mini glare then got off when they arrived at the restaurant. “I’m not dramatic.” 

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "If he needs something to do I can send him some stationary and quill pens for him to write with." she suggested. 

“You think he’d like that?” Tony looked at her curiously. He ordered a drink and lunch then handed his menu to the waiter. 

She nodded. "I'm sure he'll love it." she smiled. Pepper pulled out her phone and quickly started to get to work on it. 

Tony shrugged and sipped his drink as it arrived. “I’ll trust you on that one.” He smiled a bit at the redhead. “You know, he’s actually really cute when he smiles. Look at this.” 

Tony pulled up a picture and showed it to Pepper.

She smiled at the picture and nodded. "He does."

“I think he’s been happier lately.” Tony put his phone away again. “He beats himself up all the time for what happened though.”

"He has to get out of that. He's going to keep going in circles."

Tony nodded. “I’ve been talking to him about it. I just don’t get it; he was mind controlled but he acts like he did this because he wanted to.”

"But wasn't his anger towards Thor also used to fuel the whole thing?" she asked. 

Tony sighed heavily and nodded a bit. “It was partially that. You think it would help him to talk to Thor about it?”

"Yeah if he could put his fist through his face." she replied.

Tony chuckled slightly. “I’d be there to make sure Loki didn’t kill his brother.” He glanced at the waiter as their food was brought over. “I just don’t like seeing him like that.”

"You can't hold his hand the entire way." she said. "You have let him try and get out of this on his own."

Tony nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He took a bite of his food and hummed in appreciation. “This is delicious. Way better than I remember.”

"It's been years since we were last here." she reminded him. 

“Yeah. I miss being here. Since I moved to New York it feels like I don’t go anywhere anymore. When was the last time we went to Europe?”

"It's been a good year." She replied. "You know you could move back to the Malibu house for a while."

“Yeah but what about Loki? I can’t leave him alone at the tower.” Tony took a few more bites of his meal. He didn’t really like the idea of leaving Loki alone in Stark tower. Not to mention he’d been relocated with the Avengers; if he wanted to move, he’d have to get Fury’s approval first. 

"You can't take him out of the state?" she asked. "He doesn't have any powers and as long as he stays with you he should be fine."

“I’ll talk to Fury about it, but I’m not making any promises.” Tony smiled a bit then finished his lunch. “Mmh, I need dessert.” He ordered something then sighed. “You think he’d like Malibu?”

"We can have their cake this time." She smiled. "But give it a go for yours and Loki's sake."

“I’ll talk to Fury, see if he’ll go for it. Hopefully Loki will agree to it too. Oh, did I tell you? He went for my little plan.” Tony grinned slightly. “He’s going to help on our next mission.”

Pepper smiled. "He has his powers back?" she asked.


	37. Chapter 37

“It’s a temporary thing. He’ll be able to use them when he’s on a mission with us. Right now we’re keeping it secret. If I tell Fury about it now he’ll toss Loki back in a cell forever. We’re gonna wait until he’s helped on a few important missions and break the news then.”

Pepper nodded. "Smart idea." she said. "You should get him back into training. All that time at shield he wouldn't have just lost weight but muscle mass as well." she explained.

Tony nodded. “I’ve caught him going into the gym a few times and he fights with my suits. I’ve had to repair them every week.” Tony smiled a bit. “He’s freakishly good at fighting. He moves so fast, it’s weird. Like how Natasha fights.”

"I actually want to see him fight." Pepper commented.

“I’ll see if I’ve got video of it.” Tony grinned when their dessert arrived. “He almost destroyed one of my suits when he was fighting it. Guess he was mad.”

"So is he really strong even though he doesn't have his powers?" she asked. 

“Oh yeah.” Tony paused a moment and took a bite of his cake. “He can lift me off the ground with one arm.” 

Pepper's eyes widened. "Coulson wasn't kidding when he said Thor took out his men like they were nothing." 

Tony laughed a bit and nodded. “That was funny. I have the surveillance from that day too if you wanna see it.” The playboy finished his slice of cake and wiped his lips. 

She nodded. "Yes I want to see it." 

Tony grinned and pulled his phone out and brought up the video. He handed the phone to Pepper so she could see. “Fury doesn’t know I have it.”

Pepper watched as Thor took out one man after the next as if they were children. "They really are trained to be warriors." she said. 

Tony nodded. “I asked Loki about it. Apparently he spent most of his childhood training to fight. That’s all he did other than read. It’s stuff.”

"Since they were kids? That's terrible." she said. 

“That’s what I said, but he told me it was part of his princely responsibilities. Fight to defend the kingdom and understand battle or something.” Tony shrugged and finished off his drink. 

She shook her head. "He really takes being a prince to a new level." 

“Yeah, it’s in his blood I guess. And he’s prince of two worlds, so that just makes it worse.” Tony paid for their lunch. “Where do you want to go now?”

"To a bed." she answered. "Tony I'm so tired you just don't understand.' she smiled. 

Tony smiled and nodded. “All right. Let’s get you home.” He stood and walked back out with Pepper. 

"Do you or Loki need anything?" he asked.

“Nah, Jarvis is keeping us stocked with food. He’s a really simple guy; he’s happy with his books and his own little space to sit in.”

"Nothing like what you thought he would be?" she asked. 

“Absolutely not. He’s so quiet and polite, it’s weird. And he’s really educated. He makes me feel dumb sometimes with the way he talks.”

"What about when Thor's around you?" she asked. 

Tony shook his head and laughed as they rode back to the jet. “Oh I feel like a genius around him. More than I already am.”

"They're so different." she said. "Thor sounds like he's all fun and carefree and Loki's the one that was no nonsense for anything." 

Tony smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. Loki’s all manners and well spoken. And Thor’s…well…he’s Thor.” 

"I bet if those two got into a fight it would destroy New York." 

“If we were lucky it would only be New York.” Tony looked over and got off the car as they arrived back at the jet. He got on with Pepper and sighed. 

"What's wrong Tony?" she asked.

The playboy looked at Pepper and shrugged slightly. “It’s just not fair what Loki has to go through. He says he’s okay but you can see it in his eyes that he’s miserable. Every time I bring it up to Fury he shuts cuts me off and goes on this rant about how he thinks Loki’s evil.”

"Well I hope your plan works." Pepper smiled. 

Tony nodded. “Yeah, me too.” 

They arrived back in New York later that night and Tony dropped Pepper off at her apartment before going back to the tower. He took off his coat and sighed.

“Jarvis, I’m back.”

“Welcome back Sir. Director Fury would like to inform you that he is quite pleased at how well Mr. Laufeyson is behaving.”

“Is that really what he said?”

“With more colorful language, certainly, but along those lines.”

"Mr. Laufeyson has gone along to bed now." He said. 

Tony nodded and stretched his arms a bit as he walked into his room. “Jarvis can you call Fury for me?”

“Yes Sir. May I ask why?”

“I’ve got an idea I’m hoping he’ll listen to.”

"Sir I would advise against calling him. Let Mr. Laufeyson help out first and then tell Fury." 

Tony set his jacket aside then started to take off his clothes. “Wait, you were listening to the conversation we had at the restaurant?”

“I would never Sir.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Do you think Loki would want to go to Malibu for a while?”

"I do believe he would enjoy a change of pace." He said.

“That’s what I was gonna talk to Fury about. See if he’d let me move down there for a while.”

"Very well Sir. I shall call him in the morning for you." he said. 

“Thanks.” Tony got onto his bed and sighed, closing his eyes. He didn’t even realize how tired he was until then. 

"You're always welcome Sir." Jarvis said. "Good night." 

Tony sighed and fell asleep rather quickly, though he didn’t dream.

Loki decided it was a good day to stay in bed. The weather was gloomy and aside from going to the bathroom every once in a while there was no reason to get up. 

“You want to do what?” 

Tony sighed heavily and repeated his request over the phone. “Move to Malibu, just for a little while. Look, New York is nice but I miss my home, all right? It would just be a few months.”

“And what exactly do I do if the Avengers need you? And what about Laufeyson?”

“We move him down there too. My house in Malibu is just as secure as the tower and you know it. Besides, you bother me no matter where I am and I come running.”

"Not a chance Stark." Fury said. "He doesn't move anywhere and I'm not going to give him the luxury of having a vacation." 

“It’s not a vacation for him, it’s a vacation for me!”

“You’re part of the Avengers Stark; you don’t get vacations. If you wanted to stay in Malibu, maybe you shouldn’t have made yourself that armor.”

“Right, because I had a choice.” Tony snapped back at the director and Fury went silent for a moment. 

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Forget it.” He hung up and breathed heavily through his nose. Tony pursed his lips then threw his phone at the wall.

“Sir?”

“I’m going to be in the gym.” Tony walked into the gym and bandaged his hands then started punching one of the sandbags.

"Sir, I have arranged the trip. Fury says you have two weeks. The minute something goes wrong he wants you to return to New York." Jarvis explained. 

Tony punched the bag hard again then paused, panting a bit. “Works for me.” He wiped some sweat from his forehead and removed the bandages on his hands as he went upstairs. He went to Loki’s room and knocked on the door. 

"Sir Loki doesn't go with you. He has to return to Shield custody until you return." Jarvis told him. 

Tony rolled his eyes. “Then I won’t go. Easy as that.” He turned and went over to his bar, serving himself a drink. 

“Sir.”

“I’m not going to leave him there Jarvis.” Tony said firmly.

"I understand, Sir. But perhaps Fury would agree to it if you took half a dozen shield agents with you." 

Tony sighed and pulled out his phone, dialing for Fury again. He hated having to haggle like this with the man, but he was running out of options. 

“What is it Stark?”

“What would it take for me to be able to take Loki to Malibu?”

“You’re really not going to let that go, are you?”

“Nope.”

"Take a dozen agents with you. I want six of them on duty at all times." Fury replied. 

“Fair deal. See you in two weeks.” Tony hung up then sprinted over to Loki’s room. He poked his head in suddenly. “Hey, do you want to take a little vacation for a while?”

"I can't leave." He said.

“Actually you can.” Tony smiled triumphantly. “I convinced Fury to let you out of the tower. We’ll have to take SHIELD security but I think it’ll be good to get out of New York for a while.”

"When can we leave?" Loki asked.


	38. Chapter 38

“Today. We just need to pack. My jet’s waiting for us, so we should be there in just a few hours.” Tony checked his phone. “You’re gonna love it there.” He grinned at Loki then went to pack his things.

Loki grabbed the first bag he found and started to pack his things.

Tony tossed a few things into his suitcase then set it out near the door. 

“Jarvis, tell Fury his boys need their own ride.”

“He is getting them ready now Sir. They will meet you there and give you a short security brief.”

“All right.” Tony made sure he had everything. “Does my lab there still work?”

“I have been maintaining it regularly Sir. It is functioning perfectly.”

Loki smiled as he went to find Tony with his bag over his shoulder. His bag however was, mainly full of books. 

Tony looked at the god and chuckled a bit. He looked so excited to get out of the tower. “Ready?” He grabbed his own things and headed out to his car with Loki. “We’ll be there for two weeks, maybe a little longer.”

Loki nodded. Maybe Jarvis could order him a few more books.

Tony drove them out to the flight strip and they got on the jet. He set his things down and checked a few things on his phone. There was some staff, but other than that he and Loki were alone. “Fury’s gonna send some SHIELD agents there, but the same rules apply there as at the tower, okay?” He said as he looked at Loki. 

Loki smiled and nodded. "Will I be able to join you in the lab from time to time?" 

“Yeah, sure. It’s smaller than my lab back at the tower and I don’t have many suits there. I haven’t had a chance to use that lab since I moved to New York.” Tony smiled a bit and looked at Loki. 

Loki nodded as they headed onto the plane. 

Tony got comfortable and sighed relaxed. He was excited to be going back to his old home, even if it was just for a little while. He looked out the window and waited a moment as they got ready to take off. 

Loki sighed as they flight finally took off. "I think I prefer horses to your aircrafts."

Tony laughed a bit. “Don’t worry, I designed it myself. It had the smoothest flight of any aircraft.” He sat back in his chair, looking through his phone before sending Pepper a text.

We’re on our way to Malibu. Fury okayed it. You going to drop by? – Stark 

I'll drop by around three. –Pepper

Loki frowned. "Doesn't mean I like them anymore." He replied

Tony smiled at the god. “We’re gonna land in a few hours. Besides, you have me here if you get scared.” He grinned smugly. 

"I'm not scared." he said. 

Tony shrugged and looked out the window. He liked seeing the view from so high up. 

They arrived in Malibu just a few hours later. It was a private jet, so there were no stops. Tony got off and stretched a bit. He smiled when he saw his home. 

“Ah, it’s so nice to be back.”

Loki smiled as they were back on the ground. There was a car waiting for them to get them from the airport to the house.

Tony got into the car and their bags were put into the trunk. He sat in the passenger seat, though there was no driver.

“Hello Sir.” Jarvis spoke, taking control of the car. 

“Hey Jarvis. Got everything ready?”

“Yes Sir. I have also cleaned out your pool.”

Loki got into the car and settled into the seat. 

"Welcome to California Mr. Laufeyson."

Tony smiled as they drove towards his home. He missed being there. The sun, the warmth, not to mention the isolation so close to the beach. It was perfect. 

“Did you get Loki’s room set up?”

“Yes Sir, and there are a few books there waiting for him as well. I also made sure to double check your security grid and sent details to Fury.”

“All right.”

When they arrived Loki couldn't see anything worth jumping for joy over. It wasn't until they had it inside and he saw the view of the ocean that his mouth dropped open at the view. 

Tony chuckled a bit at Loki’s reaction. “You can swim in the open water or you can swim in the pool. I have a hot tub too.” He set his things down and took a deep breath. He missed being in Malibu. He smiled as he looked around and the house hummed to life. 

“It’s good to be back here.”

“Yes, it certainly is Sir.” 

Loki nodded and then followed Stark to be shown the rest of the house.

“The kitchen’s here, living room, and I have my own little library if you want to put your books here.” Tony walked around, showing Loki all the rooms. “Oh, and this is my favorite.” He smiled the led Loki up to the roof. There was a gazebo there, overlooking the ocean view below. “It looks better when the sun sets.”

Loki smiled at the view. "It’s nothing like Asgard but it is impressive."

Tony chuckled a bit and leaned on the railing, looking down at the water. “I miss being here. Ever since I joined the Avengers, we all had to move to New York. It’s easier if Fury needs us when we’re all the same place.” He shrugged and took a deep breath of the air.

He nodded. "Would make sense if something happened. But how do you intend to call upon my brother."

“You mean if we need him during a mission? Well, Fury decided he won’t call your brother unless we’re facing something other-worldly.” Tony looked at the god. “He said that way it would be easier so Thor doesn’t have to keep zapping back and forth.”

Loki nodded before looking up at the sky knowing Heimdall had his eyes on him. 

Tony watched Loki for a moment then looked back at the view. 

“Sir, Ms. Potts has arrived.” 

“Oh, let her in.” Tony headed back inside, smiling when he saw Pepper. “He gave us two weeks.”

Loki went to Greet Ms. Potts as well. Walking over to her he took her hand and kissed it. "Ms. Potts." 

Pepper’s eyes widened as she looked at Loki and she blushed. She smiled sheepishly. “It’s good to see you Loki. How are you enjoying the change of scenery?”

“How come you don’t greet me like that?” Tony asked playfully, but there was a small tinge of envy in his eyes.

"I'm enjoying it a great deal." Loki smiled. Pepper was right, Loki did look a lot better with a smile on his face.

"I don't greet you like that because you're not a woman. I have no intentions of greeting you in the way we do in Asgard." he said. "I don't like hugs.” He grumbled. 

Tony smiled playfully when he heard Loki’s last words. Hugs, huh? Pepper put her arm in front of Tony, clearly not intent on trying to get between him and Loki if he got on the god’s bad side. 

“Well, I hope you enjoy it here.” She said to Loki. “Do you have any swim trunks?”

“I brought some he can borrow.” Tony chimed. 

She nodded. "Are you sure they'll fit?" Pepper asked. 

Tony shrugged. “Maybe not exactly, but they can be loosened or tightened.” Tony grinned at Pepper. “Did you bring a swimsuit?”

Pepper smiled a bit. “Of course I did. I haven’t been swimming in a long time.”

"So we're going swimming?" Loki asked them.

"Yes we are." Pepper smiled. "Go get ready." 

Tony went to get the swim shorts out. He grabbed his pair and handed the other ones to Loki. 

“Here, try em on. If they’re too loose just pull this string.” 

Tony started to strip, not thinking anything of Loki still being there. 

Loki quickly left him to find a bathroom to change in. Loki made the change and went to the living room to wait for Stark and Ms. Potts.

Tony ran out after he’d put on his swim shorts. He ran at the ball and dove in, whooping before he hit the water. Pepper shook her head with a smile then started putting on some sun screen. 

“Do you want some? It keeps you from getting burned.”

Tony surfaced and shook some of the water out of his hair. “Oh, this is amazing!”

Loki's head cocked to one side. “What do you mean getting burned? There is no fire to burn me." he pointed out.

Pepper looked at him then smiled a bit. “I mean from the sun. See, it gives off ultraviolet rays and it can cause burns in the skin if you’re not careful.” She handed him the lotion. 

“Go ahead and put some on your skin.” 

Tony swam around then floated around on his back before standing in the pool. “Come on, aren’t you guys getting in?”

"Well not everyone gets a burn." Pepper said. She finished putting sunblock on and joined Tony in the pool.

Tony he smiled then went to the edge of the pool. “Not sure if it works the same with you, but there’s something called melanin in the body. People with darker skin don’t burn as easily since their skin is better suited to protecting against the sun. People with pale skin,” He motioned at Pepper. “Need sunscreen.”

Loki didn't bother with it and slipped over to the pool to get in. 

Pepper dunked under the water to get used to how cold it was. She surfaced then began to swim around. 

Tony floated on his back again, relaxing in the water. 

Loki almost got ready to set a spell so he could breathe under water and sighed. Taking a deep breath he sank under the surface.

Tony had his eyes closed as he floated around on the water. He stood again then ducked under the water and started swimming around. He past Pepper and accidentally splashed her. The redhead yelped then splashed back. 

“Hey!” Tony grinned then splashed her again.


	39. Chapter 39

Loki saw the two front his spot at the bottom of the pool and refused to move from where he was.

Tony and Pepper had a splash fight for a while before the redhead tried to swim away. She was giggling and squealed when Tony caught her. 

“Tony, stop!” She laughed as he began to tickle her. “Stop it, stop!”

Tony laughed as he tickled her more yelped when the woman returned the favor. He fell apart and his foot slipped, dragging him under the water. He surface, sputtering and gasping. 

“Water went in my nose!” He coughed and flailed. 

Loki finally resurfaced showing only enough for his nose to get through so he could breath.

Pepper laughed at Tony and shook her head then pulled in one of the floating chairs. She got on it and sighed relaxed. 

Tony shook his head then looked over at Loki. His eyes had a playful glint as he suddenly swam towards the god. 

Loki hadn't seen what Stark was planning for him. 

Tony swam under water, coming up under the god and pushing him up. It wasn’t very much but being in the water certainly helped. Tony lifted Loki out of the water then both of them fell back in again. Tony surfaced laughing and shook his head. 

Loki resurfaced sputtering a bit. Growling Loki dunked the inventor and held him for a moment before letting him back up. 

Tony spat out a bunch of water when he finally surfaced. He looked at Loki and narrowed his eyes a bit, as if accepting a dare. He lunged again and dunked Loki again. 

“I win!”

Loki pulled himself back out and grabbed Stark out of the water holding him under the arms like one would a child. 

“Ow, ow!” Tony struggled and tried pulling away. He was soaking wet, so it was to worm out of Loki’s grip. He pulled too hard though and flew back, flying back into the pool. 

Pepper watched tensely then yelped a bit when a bunch of water hit her. 

“Tony!”

Loki smiled with satisfaction and went back to his swimming and lurking.

Tony pouted at the god then got one of the other floating chairs. He sat on it and sighed, smiling relaxed. 

"Loki how much weight can you lift?" Pepper asked. 

"Not sure Ms. Potts." he replied. 

“Well I’ll give you a hint: he can pick me up like it’s nothing.” Tony remarked. He had a pretty good weight on him, considering how much he worked out and tried to keep fit. So for Loki to be able to pick him up so easily meant the god was far from weak.

Pepper looked at him. "How much do you weigh Tony?" Pepper asked.

“Two twenty five.” Tony said as he looked at her. “And he just picked me up like it was nothing.” Tony looked at the god. He actually thought that was kind of sexy. 

"He picked you up with one arm with ease." she stated. "So on record Loki can lift at the very least 450." she stated. 

Tony whistled, quite impressed to hear that. With his suit he could also lift that, if not more, but that was with the help of the machine. It was incredible to think Loki could do it barehanded. 

Pepper pushed herself over to Loki and went to tap him to get his attention. He'd been resting on the edge of the pool with his arms folded and head down. The god was fast asleep. 

“Is he…asleep?” Tony asked with a little smile. Pepper smiled back and nodded. 

“Yeah, he’s passed out.” 

Tony got off the chair and waded over to Loki. “Hey, Loki?” He shook the god’s shoulder a bit.

Loki popped one eye open to look over at Stark. What?" 

Tony chuckled a bit. “You know you have a room with a bed, right? Why don’t you go ahead and go to sleep?”

"I'm fine where I am." Loki stated. He closed his eyes again and settled. Being in the water made him feel a bit like he was floating and it eased him and his troubled mind. 

Tony looked at the god then shrugged and climbed back onto his floating chair. “All right.” 

Pepper shook her head a bit then climbed out of the water and applied more suntan lotion. She sat on one of the lounging chairs and sighed. 

A helicopter flew overhead half an hour later full of Shield agents that were meant to watch Loki and Stark. Frowning Loki woke u and got out of the pool to quickly head off to his room now that it had been interrupted. 

Pepper sighed when she saw the chopped then stood. “I’ll see you later, okay?” 

Tony climbed out of the pool and nodded. “All right. Maybe we’ll make s’mores later.” He grinned at the redhead as they went inside. 

Pepper smiled and shook her head then went into the bathroom to get dressed. 

Loki sighed as he went to shower under Jarvis' instructions because of the chemicals in the water. 

Pepper washed off and left before the agents walked in. Tony greeted them at the door. 

“You guys aren’t going to be inside, right?”

“Not at all times Mr. Stark, no. But Director Fury has informed us that we are to check on you and watch Mr. Laufeyson constantly.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Tony shrugged a bit. “All right, have fun.” He grinned smugly then went into his room to get dressed. 

The agents searched the house and even went as far to enter Loki’s room but was stopped by the god. 

"Now the playing field is even. Try to do to me what you did before and I will end you." Loki promised.

The agents scowled at the god and one reached for his gun. Tony stepped out of his room and looked over, tensing up. 

“Hey, play nice kids.” He said jokingly but his eyes were serious. He looked at the agents and watched as they finished checking the house before they walked out. 

“That could have been worse.” Tony said after a moment then looked at Loki. “Are you okay?”

Loki just smiled. "Perfectly fine." he said. He was nearly at full strength again and could take each agent with or without a weapon.

Tony nodded. “If you say so. By the way, you getting hungry?” He grinned then went to the fridge. He’d had one of his assistants fill the fridge. “Oh hey look, pudding.” 

At the thought of having pudding Loki perked up. 

Tony got some things out to make himself a sandwich then looked over, grinning when he saw Loki go for the pudding. 

“You really like pudding that much, huh?”

Loki nodded. "I do." he said. 

Tony chuckled a bit and shook his head then set his sandwich on the table. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and popped it open. 

“Like Thor with his Poptarts.”

“Could I have a sandwich as well please?" he asked. 

Tony looked at the god a moment then shrugged. “Sure. What do you want in it?” He looked at the different kinds of meat and vegetables he had in the fridge. 

"Make mine like you are doing yours." he replied. 

Tony shrugged and fixed Loki’s sandwich before handing it to the god. “Be warned: I like mayonnaise on my sandwiches.” He sat down again then took a bite from his own lunch. 

Loki sniffed at it before taking a bite. It wasn't awful, he would give Stark that.

Tony watched the god quietly then chuckled. “Is it up to his majesty’s standards?” He bit into his own sandwich then sipped his beer.

"Stop that." Loki glared.

“Stop what, being cute?” Tony gave Loki a saucy grin the finished his sandwich and licked his lips. He stood took another swig of his beer. 

"Calling me by titles." Loki said. 

Tony looked at the god curiously then realized his mistake. He looked away, feeling guilty for what he’d said. “Sorry I kinda…forgot.”

Loki huffed through his nose. 

Tony sighed quietly then finished his beer. “I’ll be in my lab if you need anything.” Well that could have gone worse. Tony went down to his lab and sat in the chair. 

“Upsetting Mr. Laufeyson so soon Sir?”

“Shut up.” Tony frowned and got a few things. He had old projects still sitting there and decided to work on them.

Jarvis sighed at this but let Tony go about his work. Loki finished eating his sandwich and cleaned his dish before leaving. 

“You will have to excuse Mr. Stark.” Jarvis spoke up. “When he feels anything is becoming too serious, he proceeds to joke, drink or hide in his lab. He acted very much the same when informed his parents had passed away.”

Tony put on his goggles and gloves and got to work quietly. 

Loki nodded. "Understood." he replied.

“Also, you have some books in the library here Mr. Laufeyson.”


	40. Chapter 40

Tony welded a few parts together then grinned. He looked at his new invention; some strange blaster he’d created before joining the Avengers. 

“Jarvis, pull up the notes for this.”

“Of course Sir.”

"Thank you Jarvis.” Loki replied. 

“Sir, are you sure hiding in your lab is the appropriate response at the moment?”

“Jarvis, run the schematics on this and-“ Tony huffed when the AI shut his screens down. Tony pursed his lips and sat, pulling his goggles up. “I’m giving him space, Jarvis.”

"Sir he didn't require space." Jarvis pointed out.

Tony sat there a moment. “What do you want me to do Jarvis? Go up there and cuddle with him?”

“Sir, at the moment you are the only person in whom Mr. Laufeyson can trust. You have shown that you are here to help him and hiding away when things become serious is not helping.”

“Jarvis…”

“I know you do not handle emotions well Sir. Believe me, I know firsthand. But perhaps now is not the time to worry that someone might hurt your feelings.”

Tony was quiet for a moment. He looked at the welding machine in his hand. 

Loki watched the guards walk around the house. Jarvis assured him that they couldn't see in but he could see out. They had to go through so many twists and turns that once outside they couldn't tell where Loki's room was. 

Tony looked at the projects he’d been working on then took off his gloves and goggles. He took a deep breath then went upstairs and over to the room Loki was staying in. He poked his head in and looked at the god. 

“Do you want some ice cream?”

Loki gave him a soft nod. "Yes." he said. 

Tony nodded back. “All right, let’s go.” He turned to go into the kitchen. 

“Sir, you have no ice cream.”

“What?” Tony exclaimed. “I thought you said you stocked everything?”

“My apologies Sir.”

Tony groaned then went out and got the attention of one of the guards. “Do me a favor, I need ice cream.”

The guard looked at Tony puzzled. “Excuse me?”

Tony wrote down a short list of some different flavors he wanted them handed them to the guard. “Go ahead, go.”

"We're here to guard him not do your shopping." one of them said. 

Tony rolled his eyes then called one of his assistants. He text them the list then went back inside and looked at Loki. 

“Might take a couple minutes. I don’t have ice cream right now.”

Loki nodded. "Understood." he said, looking at the guards. "I'll be in my room until it arrives."

Tony looked at the god and stopped him. “Wait a sec.” He paused then sighed. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I didn’t mean it an insult I’m just…not good with people.”

"I know you didn't mean it as an insult but I'm not much of a prince." he said. "I just don't like hearing it." 

Tony nodded a bit, looking away from the god. “I don’t like it when people call me smarty pants. Rogers says that to me all the time, along with jerk and egomaniac.” He looked at the god. “Why don’t you wait out here with me?”

Loki watched the guards leave. "Alright." he said. 

Tony smiled a bit and sat with the god in the living room. “You know what you really need to try? Sushi.” Tony grinned a bit, imagining the god trying wasabi. 

Loki's head cocked to one side. "What's sushi?" he asked.

Tony smiled then quickly text his assistant to get some sushi while he was out. “You’ll see. It’s actually pretty good, but you have to have a taste for it.”

"But you still have yet to tell me what it is." Loki pointed out.

“It has fish, but I don’t want to tell you too much or else you might not want to try it.” Tony smiled playfully then went to the door when his assistant arrived. He brought the food in and set out five tubs of ice cream as well as two small trays of sushi. “All right, here it is.”

Loki gave the sushi a strange look.

The assistant froze when he realized who was standing in front of him.

Tony looked at the man and waved his hand a bit. “We’re not offering you any.” He said at last, hoping the man would take the hint and leave. He then looked at Loki and offered him a piece. “Here, it’s a salmon roll. It’s really good, just try it.”

The assistant opened and closed his mouth a few times, pointing at Loki. “That’s Loki!”

“He doesn’t sign autographs in private.”

“This is the guy that-“

Tony looked at the assistant, jaw clenched. “Get out.”

The assistant fell backwards before picking himself up and scurrying away.

Loki looked at the salmon roll but tried it anyway. 

Tony got out some bowls and spoons so they could eat the ice cream. He served himself a small scoop of each one then sat to eat. 

“So, what do you think?” He popped one of the rolls into his mouth and licked his lips. 

"It's strange but good." he said. "Nothing on a rare cooked boar though." 

Tony grinned a bit then ate some of his ice cream. “Oh yeah? I don’t think I’ve ever had that. But I did try Bruce’s cooking once.” Tony shuddered and shook his head. “Poor guy would die of food poisoning if fast-food and take out didn’t exist.”

"Who, your doctor?" he asked. 

Tony chuckled and nodded, eating some more ice cream. He paused a moment to lick his lips, his mouth blue from the ice cream. “Yeah. I got sick once from some food Bruce made. He tries but cooking just isn’t his thing.”

"Well I suppose I can manage to feed you both." he said. 

Tony smirked at the god playfully and shook his head. “All right, but you have to wear a uniform if you’re going to be feeding me.” He winked at the god then took another piece of sushi. 

Loki huffed through his nose. "Not a chance Stark."

Tony laughed and shrugged. “It was worth a try.” He said then finished his ice cream. He licked his lips. “You’re not gonna try any?”

"I would like to finish this meal first." he said.

“So, you liked the sushi huh?” Tony asked with a little smile. 

Loki nodded. "Very much." he smiled. 

“Rogers doesn’t. You know, the Captain?” Tony chuckled a bit. “I gave him some to try once and he almost puked.”

Loki shrugged. "I still think it's good." 

Tony nodded a bit, grabbing another piece of sushi. “It is good, huh? Pepper made me try it first. It was back when she first started working for me.” He chuckled a bit. “She got tired of me talking, so she stuffed a piece of sushi into my mouth.”

Loki shook his head. "I prefer that you never do such a thing." Loki said.

“You don’t talk very much, so I wouldn’t get the chance.” Tony shrugged then got up to grab a drink. He pulled some juice out of the fridge. 

"May I have a glass of that as well?" Loki asked. 

Tony nodded and served some for Loki as well. He sat back at the table with the god and took some more of the orange sherbet ice cream. “Oh, you know what you need to try? A smoothie.”

"Another day." he said. 

Tony shrugged. “All right. They’re good though.” He grinned and ate his ice cream. 

“Sir, you have an incoming call from General Isaac.”

Tony sighed then got his phone out of his pocket and stepped into the hall. “Stark speaking.”

“Ah, Mr. Stark. You never returned my calls so I thought I’d try you again.”

"I shall leave you to your phone call." Loki nodded to him. The Asgardian took the rest of the platter with him. 

Tony glanced at Loki then spoke back to the general. “Well I figured it would be about the suit again and I’m tired of talking about it.”

“Mr. Stark, I don’t think you realize just what kind of power you have.”

Once in his room Loki got curious. "Why does your government constantly want Stark for his suit?" 

“They have been begging him for a prototype for quite some time, and even went as far as to try and legally obtain it. They don’t understand that Mr. Stark did not build that suit as a weapon of war, but as a means of protection.” Jarvis replied and showed Loki a few news clips of Tony in court and when he was held captive. “He laughs so much at everything that the world often forget the suit was originally created to save his life and the life of his friend.”

“I know exactly what kind of power I have. Why are we even having this conversation? You know my answer General.”

“You’re not thinking of anyone but yourself Stark! Just imagine if your father had kept all of his weapons to himself; where would we be now?”

Tony clenched his jaw and heard Obadiah’s voice echoing in his head. Just because you create something…

“Don’t call me anymore General.” Tony cut the call, his heart racing slightly. 

Loki watched each clip and read the story. "I see." Loki said. 

"It is Stark's right to keep what was meant to be his protection. That would be like telling me to give up my blade or my magic when it is my protection." 

“Mr. Stark never much cared for those his weapons affected before. Once he realized who he was killing, he stopped all weapon’s production. I must say that it is the single most courageous thing he has done, second only to helping you.”

Tony ran his fingers through his hair frustrated and sighed heavily. His mind started flashing memories across his vision and he had to shut his eyes tight, trying to drown out the noise. 

You were supposed to die in that cave…why couldn’t you just die…?

“Stop it. Stop it.” He said quietly and for a moment it was silent. 

How did you escape the worm hole…?

“Mr. Stark, are you seriously injured?” 

Tony blinked and realized he’d blacked out for a moment. He felt a sharp pain in his arm and realized he’d smashed a cup and cut his hand.


	41. Chapter 41

"Mr. Laufeyson could you please attend to Mister Stark. He's injured himself." Jarvis said.

Loki nodded getting up to go help Tony fix whatever mess he'd made.

Tony was cleaning up the glass then went into the kitchen to wash the blood off. It wasn’t too bad, but he had pieces of glass in his hand. He winced a bit, clenching his jaw. 

“Don’t laugh Jarvis.”

“I would never laugh at you Sir. The hydrogen peroxide is in the top left cabinet Sir.”

Tony reached for it then noticed Loki. “Jarvis.” He sighed out upset. 

“Sir, I simply asked him to help you.”

"It's easier to remove glass when someone else can do it for you." he said. 

“I’m fine.” Tony said, not looking at the god. He yanked out a piece of glass and groaned. He was quiet for a moment then sighed in defeat and let Loki look at his hand. 

Loki found tweezers under Jarvis’ instructions and pulled the glass out of Stark's hand. 

Tony winced slightly as Loki pulled the glass out of his hand, but didn’t say anything otherwise. He glanced at the god when he’d finished and pulled his hand back. 

“I can bandage it. Thanks.” 

“Sir, perhaps someone that has full use of both hands should bandage it?”

Loki finished cleaning the wound out and cleared up the blood away before wrapping a bandage around it. 

Tony was quiet a moment then pulled his hand back and flexed it a bit when Loki finished. 

“Thanks.” He walked past the god, his brows furrowed in agitation. He wasn’t even sure why it bothered him so much. There wasn’t a country in the world that hadn’t tried to buy the suits from him. But sometimes they’d overstep the boundary, and all Tony could hear was his father’s disappointed voice in his mind. 

"You know it doesn't matter what they think. For one reason or another they will always be disappointed in you so you might as well put it out of your mind." Loki said. 

Tony didn’t respond. He glanced back towards the god then went to the bar and grabbed a beer. 

“I’m sorry you had to do that. I’ll be in my lab if you need something.” Tony opened the beer then went downstairs. 

Though he didn’t have a physical form, Jarvis was noticeably resigned. “As I said before, he does not handle emotions well.”

Loki nodded. "That would be one thing we have in common Jarvis.”

“You two have many traits in common, I have noticed, though many of those I wish you did not share. You are both oddly shut in and yet you pretend otherwise.” 

Tony sat in his lab, just looking around at all his machines. He’d finished his beer and was too drained to go back upstairs for another. 

“Sir, you have done more than you can imagine. You owe your successes to no one but yourself.” Jarvis said to Tony after a moment of silence. 

Loki frowned. "I do not pretend; I am a shut in. I know for a fact I am a shut in. I don't like people that much Jarvis." 

“I have noticed that of you Mr. Laufeyson. You are quite the introvert.” 

“Thanks Jarvis.” Tony replied quietly. 

“Please believe me Sir. You are not tied down to your father’s success nor to Obadiah’s corruption. You made your suit as a means of protection and that will be its only purpose.” 

"Might I suggest a stiffer drink? This time in a plastic cup?" Jarvis said.

Tony chuckled a bit, shaking his head. “That’s not like you. Usually you’re telling me not to drink because it’s bad for me.”

“It is bad for you Sir, but I’ve learned by now that speaking is not your strongest suit.”

Jarvis waited for Tony to leave the lab so he could lock it back down. 

Tony sat in his lab for a while before going upstairs to get another drink. He went to the bar and mixed himself a good, strong drink before sitting and sipping it slowly. He made a face as it burned his tongue; a bit stronger than he’d meant. 

Loki finished eating the sushi he'd taken to his room. Jarvis told him to wait a bit before he went to try and eat ice cream. 

He felt better now that he was buzzed. Tony chuckled a bit, remembering random things from his past. 

“Jarvis, do you-do you remember when I first built you?”

“Unfortunately yes Sir.”

Tony laughed a bit. “Remember I almost called you Alfred?”

“I am quite glad you changed your mind.”

"I would prefer you keep my name to be Jarvis." He said. 

Tony giggled and nodded, his head rested on the island. “Do you think I should just quit?”

“Quit what Sir?”

“The Avengers. I mean…maybe Rogers is right.” 

“Of course he isn’t Sir. You’re simply saying this because you are inebriated.”

Tony shrugged and reached for his glass, frowning when he saw it was empty. 

Jarvis called for Loki to help Tony.

"Stark you have to realize you'll let him win by drinking like that." 

Tony frowned puzzled and lifted his head, brushing his hair out of his face. “Let who win what?” He stood, stumbling a bit. He giggled as he regained his balance and reached for one of the bottles.

"Your father." he said. Loki out the bottle out of reach. "Come on time for bed." 

Tony’s drunken smile faltered at the mention of his father. He turned and stumbled towards his room before leaning against the wall. He chuckled again, his eyes closed. 

“He was never proud of me anyway.” 

Loki grabbed Tony and heaved the man over his shoulder. "To bed with you.”

Tony yelped then laughed as he was picked up. “That’s kinda hot.” He slurred, huffing when Loki set him on the bed. He grabbed the god’s wrist and looked at him with a little smile. “I bet I could make you smile if you let me.” He said in a flirty voice then fell back against the pillows. 

"No, go to sleep." he said, pulling his arm free and pushing Stark down. 

Tony huffed and rolled his eyes. “I don’t like sleeping alone.” He mumbled as his eyes drooped shut. He turned over, pulling his pillow close.

"You had no problem sleeping alone two weeks ago." he said. "Off to bed."

Tony mumbled, trying to argue back was too tired to form words. He pulled the pillow close to his chest and sighed. 

Loki watched him for a few moments before leaving him. 

Tony grumbled quietly as he slept, furrowing his brows. He was having odd dreams, or bits and pieces of dreams. They didn’t make any sense and he tossed and turned the entire night. 

Loki sighed as he went to get the ice cream he so needed. 

Tony woke up after a few hours. His head hurt, though after the drink he had he wasn’t surprised. He stretched on the bed and groaned a bit, rubbing his head. 

“Jarvis?”

“You have been asleep for six hours Sir. How are you feeling?”

Loki was still fast asleep in his own bed though this time he left the door open for himself. 

Tony went into the kitchen to get some water and an effervescent. As he waited for the thing to dissolve, he looked over at Loki’s room. He walked to the door way and watched the god quietly. 

“Sir?”

Tony was quiet before he turned and went back into the kitchen. 

“I think something’s wrong with me.”

“Are you feeling unwell Sir?”

“No, it’s not that.” He sipped his drink.

Jarvis waited a moment. "Sir I think you may find Mr. Laufeyson attractive." Jarvis said. 

Tony’s eyes widened and he swatted towards the ceiling. “Shh! He’ll hear you!” Tony shook his head and sipped his drink, though he certainly did agree with the AI. Not for nothing, but Loki was very attractive. Tall, lean, not to mention how well kempt he was. 

Loki shifted on the bed but didn't wake up. 

"So you won't deny it Sir?" he asked. 

Tony sighed heavily, looking at his drink. He chugged the rest of it, making a face. “Ugh, that’s disgusting.” He pursed his lips a bit, looking towards Loki’s room again. “Is it bad if I do?”

"No, Sir. Perfectly alright but it's one sided." Jarvis said. 

Tony nodded. “Yeah, I know.” He ran his fingers through his hair. He didn’t want to like Loki. He didn’t want to get close to the god because he knew what would happen: nothing.

The god would reject him and then, eventually, leave. 

"Sir?" Jarvis called to him. Loki had woken up and ventured out of his room. 

Tony had his back to Loki and didn’t notice the god was awake. “I can’t do this Jarvis. I can’t start falling for Loki.” He continued talking and rubbed his forehead. 

Loki was still partly sleep so he didn't understand half of what came out of Stark's mouth.

"Morning." 

Tony jumped a bit and whipped back. He sighed when he saw the god was still quite groggy from sleep. “Morning.”


	42. Chapter 42

"It's cold." Loki said. "Why is it cold?" He asked.   
“Is it cold? Oh. Umm, Jarvis go ahead and adjust the temperature.”   
“Very well Sir.” The AI adjusted the temperature.   
Tony looked at Loki then away. “You sleep okay?”  
He nodded. "Did you?" he asked.   
“Not really. I kept waking myself up.” Tony shrugged then stood and set his cup in the sink.   
Loki nodded and then sighed. He went to the fridge for a class of water. "I'm going back to my room."  
Tony looked at Loki and nodded. “All right. I’ll be down in my lab if you need anything.” He grabbed a beer and headed towards his lab. So close. Loki was so close to hearing what he’d said. It surprised him though; why was he being so nervous about this?  
"Sir you'll have an easier time getting over it if you just accept this truth."   
“Nope.” Tony put on his gloves and goggles then started working on one of his suits. “It’s just a passing crush. Like with Natasha.”  
"Sir that lasted for a year."  
“Yeah, but I got over it.” Tony shrugged and kept working, checking the wires on his suit.   
"I have the utmost faith in your Sir." he said.   
In his room Loki felt like laying around in his bed. Reading his book from time to time but mostly watching TV.  
“Don’t get smart with me Jarvis.” Tony said with a little frown. This was just a puppy crush. He always went after people that didn’t want him, it was in his nature. Or so he hoped.   
"Forgive me Sir." Jarvis said before growing silent.   
Tony glanced at the ceiling then sighed. “You’re not gonna lock me out of my bathroom again, are you?”  
“It has certainly crossed my mind, Sir.” The AI replied sharply.   
Loki rolled around in the bed. He didn't know what to do with himself in that moment.   
Tony sighed and ran his hands over his face, frowning when one of his welding tools shut off. “All right, I get it. I’m sorry.”   
"Sir perhaps you would like to try and be social rather than spend your time in the lab." Jarvis pointed out.  
“He’s sleeping Jarvis or watching a movie.” Tony pursed his lips a bit. “He isn’t interested in me.”  
“That has never stopped you before. If I recall correctly, Ms. Potts absolutely abhorred you in the beginning.”  
Tony chuckled a bit, remembering that well. “I just keep getting more wrapped up in this.”  
“I am not asking you to marry him Sir, simply to make a friend.”  
"There is no harm in being his friend. You could use one as well." Jarvis said.   
Tony was quiet then stood. His legs felt a bit heavy, but he went upstairs and paused outside Loki’s room. What would they even do? He couldn’t take the god out anywhere. He pursed his lips a bit, getting nervous.  
Loki was starting to nod off a bit out of boredom. He had that trapped feeling again but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Least not at the moment and not while guards would question every move he made.  
Tony took a deep breath then knocked on the door. “Loki, you asleep?”  
"Come in." he replied. "Yes?" he answered.   
Tony walked in and chuckled when he saw Loki’s messy hair. “You getting bored here? We can go somewhere if you want.”  
"And where exactly would we go?" Loki asked sitting up a bit.  
Tony thought for a moment. “Well, we can’t really leave; Fury would shit his pants.” He frowned a bit then smiled when he got an idea. “I think I have an idea.” Tony grabbed the god’s wrist and took him down to the lab. They would through it and went to another room. It was rather large and absolutely bare save for some machines in the ceiling and sticking from the walls.   
“Jarvis, initiate simulator.”   
“Initiating now Sir. What images shall I load?”  
“Why don’t you give us the ocean?”  
Loki waited to see what would happen and Jarvis got to work on the simulation.   
"Would you like the beach view or the underwater view?"  
Tony grinned. “Start us on the beach and go 4D.”   
The 4D was something Tony had originally planned to use only for testing his suits. It allowed Jarvis to simulate most any environment precisely. But since Loki couldn’t leave, why not use it to show him the world? In the blink of an eye they were on a beach, with sounds, smells and even textures simulated around them.   
Loki stared on in complete wonder at the room. It had turned into something else entirely.  
"Jarvis?"   
"Yes, Mr. Laufeyson?"  
Tony smiled when he saw Loki’s reaction to the simulator. “It’s not exactly the real thing, but it’s close enough.” He put his hands in his pockets and looked around a bit, taking a deep breath of the sea salt air.  
"Could you do one of these based off of a memory?" he asked.   
“That would require a different machine, but it is possible. It will not be exact but I shall do my best.”   
Tony tapped on Loki’s shoulder and nodded at a small room. “This way.” He said with a little smile. “This machine will tap into your memories. I’ve tested it a few times and it works pretty well. Just sit here and I’ll get you hooked up.”  
Loki did as Tony told him to do and sit down.  
Tony got some nodes and put them on Loki’s temples and at the base of his neck. He started up another machine and calibrated it before putting something like a slim helmet on Loki.   
“All right, now I need you to close your eyes and focus on the memory you want Jarvis to bring up. Remember everything you can: sight, smells, sounds, everything. I’ll need to scan for a minute or two and then we’ll see how it turned out.”  
Loki nodded before stopping and thinking for a moment. He focused on his room and the view from the window. How the stars and moons hung in the multicolored sky. The smell of his mother's garden came from under the windows carried by the evening breeze. He could hear the night life coming out, the owls and crickets, frogs in the pond, his father's ravens.   
Tony scanned the brainwaves his machine was recording and fed them to Jarvis for analysis.   
“Analyzing data sets now and applying changes to environment.” The AI informed Tony then began applying the changes in the next room.   
“All right, keep scanning.” Tony replied quietly so as not to break Loki’s train of thought.  
Loki wished he could be home again to see it all himself once more.   
Tony finished calibrating a few things then turned off the machine. He removed the helmet and smiled at Loki.   
“All right, let’s see how it turned out.” He unattached the nodes from Loki’s temples and neck then stepped into the other room with him.   
“I am loading the environment now Sir.” For a moment the room was empty then it suddenly flooded with Loki’s memories. Everything changed and the smell of fresh flowers and the song of birds filled the air.  
Loki smiled as he looked at everything around him. "This is what I use to call home. These are the gardens of the palace."   
Tony stared around in awe. “They’re massive!” He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He knew Asgard would be different from earth, but this was almost too hard to fathom. “It’s incredible.” He looked at the palace. He knew it wasn’t really there, but he wanted so badly to see it.   
Loki wished he could feel it in his hands though. He wanted to feel the grass on his feet, and the pedals on his fingertips.  
Tony smiled as he looked around. Even the sky looked different than on earth. “This is amazing.” He said quietly, looking at all the different flowers and plants. “Bruce would love to see this.”  
Loki nodded. "I grew up to this every day. There is a pool of water that is deeper than it appears that I was washed in." he said.   
Tony looked at Loki then walked closer to the god. “Really?” He looked around, his hands in his pockets. “It’s amazing here.” He smiled and took a deep breath. He looked back at the god. “I’ll get you back home soon, I promise.” He smiled a bit.   
Loki looked back at him and nodded. "Thank you."   
Tony nodded.   
“Sir, you have an incoming call from Director Fury. He says it’s urgent.”  
“All right. I’ll be upstairs, okay? You can stay down here if you want.” Tony looked at Loki then headed up to take the call. “What is it?”  
“We might have a situation. We’ve been monitoring some weird energy shifts lately. They’re focused in Africa. At first we didn’t think much of it; Thor says shifts like that can be normal if there’s movement in other realms.”  
Jarvis pulled up the data for Tony to see.   
“Let me guess, that’s not what this is?”  
"We don't think so." Fury replied. "Have my team watch over Loki and you get over here with the others for this mission."   
Tony nodded and ended the call then went back into the simulator. “There might be a mission.” He said with a little smile. “I’ll have Jarvis give you the details and set up a clone so you can help out. Right now we don’t anything for sure, but be ready.”  
Loki nodded. "I have my armor." he said. "I'll have Jarvis tell me when you want me to leave."  
“All right. I’ll keep you posted on what’s going on. Also,” He pulled out a small ear piece and handed it to the god. “It’s a special communicator that will only work with my radio. You’ll be able to talk to me but only I can hear you. And I’ll be able to talk to you without anyone else hearing what I say.”  
"Alright." Loki said hooking the communicator to his ear. He didn't like it at first but settled.   
“See you later.” Tony said with a little smile then headed upstairs, his suit assembling on him. He headed as quickly as he could to SHIELD headquarters where the others were waiting to be briefed.


	43. Chapter 43

“We got anything new?”

“The energy is fluctuating more, like something’s trying to come through. We’ve got crews on site, but this doesn’t look like anything friendly. They won’t be able to handle combat.”

“So you’re sending us down?” Natasha asked. 

Fury nodded. “We’ll give you specialized suits just in case this gets tougher than we expect.”

Natasha shared a look with Clint. "Where's Thor when you need him?" She asked, though not loud enough for anyone to hear here.

“If this gets out of hand, we have crews standing by with stronger weapons.”

Everyone nodded ten got ready to be taken to the site. Tony didn’t need one of the suits, neither did Bruce; both would do just fine without the extra protection. 

Jarvis meanwhile relayed all the information to Loki, keeping him updated on the situation. 

Loki started to put his armor back n and get dressed once more. He even found a pair of scissors and cut his hair back.

Tony and the others arrived soon enough at the site and saw what looked like a tear in the sky. “That’s not good.”

“Just as long as whatever comes through isn’t too bad.” Bruce said then looked at Tony. He knew they’d talked about Loki helping, but he was getting nervous when he didn’t see any sign of the god. He might really help with this. 

Bruce knew Tony was nervous about Loki helping them. "Do you think he'll come?" 

Tony looked at Bruce and shrugged. “It looked like he really wanted to do this. I hope he shows up.” 

All eyes were on the portal then something came through. It looked like a massive, hairless dog with no eyes and something like black rocks jutting out of its back. Nice to know at least there were only five. Tony’s eyes widened when he saw the thing.

“Are you serious?”

“Mr. Laufeyson, you may wish to go now. I have set up a clone for you while you are gone and will be giving you all the information you need when you arrive.” Jarvis told Loki what was going on at the site. 

Loki nodded as he felt his magic return to him. "Time to go." he said, before disappearing into thin air.

Loki made sure he was well hidden when he arrived at the site and saw the large hairless dog. 

He sighed as he thought of what to do. He could lure the creature back in and return it to Nilfheim. He waited for a few moments before finally going in closer. 

One of the creatures lunged at Clint and Natasha, both of whom rolled out of the way and fired. 

“Well now we know guns won’t help.” Natasha tossed her weapons aside and scowled. Bruce turned into the Hulk as another creature ran at him. Tony blasted at a third but it didn’t seem like he was doing much more than upsetting them. 

“Fury, this isn’t working!”

“There are stronger weapons behind you!” The Director watched nervously from his monitors.

The rest of the Avengers ran for them quickly and tried again. They seemed to do more damage this time around, but it still wasn’t much.

“Guys, guys! We need to try and force these things back into those portals!”

“You have any brilliant ideas Stark?” Steve shouted then blasted at another creature.

Loki couldn't resist the answer for that question. "That would be me." he smiled before at them before attacking one of the creatures. Loki went to help Natasha and Clint with their beast first because they were the most human and had no protection.

Tony tensed slightly and looked around. He was happy Loki was there, but he didn’t want the god to get too zealous and show himself. He looked around, but didn’t see Loki. He blasted back another creature, trying to guide it towards the portals. 

Natasha dodged on swipe from the beast then gasped when another came at her. She ducked but was amazed that she made it. Somehow, the beast actually missed her. She stared at it confused then looked around, feeling a strange chill.

Loki used a spell of his own to draw the creature away making sure it saw him but that the others didn't. Throwing up a force field around the creature he managed to send it back through the portal it came from like one would throw a ball.

Clint couldn’t believe what he was seeing. What had pushed that thing back through?

Tony however sighed relieved then quickly focused back on the creature gunning for him. He flew up out of range and blasted it again, this time in the face. That seemed to do something; it began to retreat towards the portals. 

The Hulk picked up another beast and launched it through the portal with a loud growl.

Dropping down in front of the portal, Loki started working on the spell to close it up before another could come through it.

The others all looked at each other a great deal of confusion on their faces save for Bruce who even as Hulk knew that Loki had helped them.

Tony sighed relieved as the portals closed. He smiled and flipped up the mask of his suit. He looked around, though he knew he wouldn’t see Loki. 

“All right, someone want to tell me what just happened?” Steve looked at the others puzzled but no one seemed to know. 

“Looks like they got sucked back in or something.”

“Or thrown in.” Natasha said, frowning skeptically. 

"Maybe whatever realm they came from someone over there knew about it and did something to bring them back in." Clint said. 

“That could be it, I guess.” Natasha sighed a bit. She was just glad this was over. 

“Director, did you get anything?” Steve said into his earpiece but Fury was just as stumped as they were. 

“We’ll keep an eye on the location and energy frequencies, but so far it looks like you’re done here.” 

A jet landed to take them all back except Tony; he insisted he’d be fine flying back on his own. He glanced around again, this time with his mask on and checked for Loki’s energy. He had to be careful not to tip Fury off, but he didn’t see the god nearby. He shrugged then took off. 

Knowing his magic would only last so long, Loki used his magic one last time to go back to Tony's home in California.

Tony sighed relieved as he landed back home and his suit was removed. He grinned, waiting for Loki to reappear. The SHIELD agents Fury had sent left, going back to their original posts outside the house. 

“Loki?” Tony walked around then went down to his lab to see if the god was there.

Loki was trying to find him but didn’t so he simply waited in the living room knowing Stark would have to come back for him. 

“Sir, Mr. Laufeyson is in the living room.”

Tony went back upstairs and smiled when he saw the god. “I think you did pretty well for your first undercover mission.” He went over to the god and sat next to him, clearly excited about the ordeal. “How do you feel?”

Loki looked down at his hands flexing his fingers. "It felt good to have my powers back." he said. 

Tony grinned and nodded. “You did really well. Few more missions like this and we’ll have you back home in no time.” Tony was really excited about their little plot. “Did you see the looks on everyone’s faces?” He chuckled a bit.

"No I didn't. I had to return before my powers left me once more." he said. 

Tony laughed and shook his head. “It was hilarious. They were looking around, trying to figure out what sent those things back through the portals!” He mimicked the expressions of his comrades for Loki to see then laughed again.

Loki chuckled as Tony showed him the faces. "Do they suspect it was me?"

Tony shook his head. “I doubt it. Even if they did, nobody has any proof you were there. I have surveillance showing you were here the entire time we were gone.” Tony shrugged. “And I had Jarvis mask any energy you might have given off while you were there.”

Loki nodded. "Good way to cover my tracks but I can only keep hiding myself as well as using my magic so long." Loki said. "It's straining to do so."

Tony nodded. “I could make something for you that will help. It’s a kind of cloaking device; I use one on my stealth suit. It can keep you hidden and undetectable.”

Loki nodded. "Please, it saves a great deal over energy."

Tony smiled a bit. “I’ll have it built for you soon. We’ll have to test it a bit, make sure it works right but it should be fine.” 

Loki nodded. "Thank you Stark."

“You’re welcome.” Tony smiled at the god then stood. “I’ll go get your cloaking device built. You can come down to the lab if you want.” He grabbed a water bottle and headed to the lab.

Loki followed him wanting to see Stark work.

“Jarvis, get my plans out for the cloaking mechanics.” 

“Very well Sir. It will need to be set for a different frequency since the energy from Mr. Laufeyson’s magic is quite different from that used to power your suits.”

“All right, show me some numbers.” Tony started pulling out the supplies and set it on one of the tables. 

“I’ve raised the Herz calibration and altered the amount of work done by the device. It will need to use more energy to keep him cloaked.”

“Go ahead and apply the changes and we’ll see how small we can make this thing.”


	44. Chapter 44

"When I was young and they discovered I had a gift for magic, they made me wear a necklace with a strong pendant on it to lock my powers until I could be taught. When I was caught in my father and Brother's shadows that’s when my mother began to teach me."

Tony looked at the god then down a bit. “Guess it isn’t easy to grow up when people won’t let you. But why keep your magic hidden? I mean, you were going to use it someday anyway.”

"Because as an infant and a young child you have no control over it. Simply because you want something you were told you can have your magic would bring it to you." Loki explained. "As an infant a child could destroy whole crops because of a tantrum." 

Tony’s brows raised in surprise. “That’s a lot for a tantrum.” He chuckled a bit, welding some metal pieces together and started working. “The worst tantrum I ever threw ended with my dad’s lab blowing up and my arm almost getting amputated. My mom finally left him; she couldn’t stay anymore and handle him being drunk. So she left and I wanted to go with her.” Tony put on his goggles. “My dad said no.”

"That's what magic can do. This is what Thor could do upon his birth. They said that when he was born the winds howled and the lightening was no bright that anyone who looked at it directly would go blind." Loki shared. "The Thunder was deafeningly loud in correspondence to his cries."

Tony shook his head a bit upon hearing this. “Glad I could never do that. Although it would be pretty cool.” He grinned a bit then started putting wires in the arm band. 

"You should have heard what some of his fits sounded like growing up." Loki said. 

“Was it bad?” Tony started welding some wires to the power board then tested it to make sure it could carry the current well. He then placed it in the armband and start guiding the wires through it.

He nodded. "Windows would break and you could feel everything tremble, the thunder was so loud." 

“Geez, that’s intense. But I guess coming from Point Break, that’s not too surprising.” Tony welded a few more pieces together then tested the arm band again. He grinned at Loki.

“Almost done.”

Loki leaned in closer to watch Tony work.

Tony finished putting the platelets in place then picked it up and placed it somewhere else, letting it cool. “Jarvis, run some diagnostics on it.”

“Of course Sir, running now.” The AI replied and ran the scans before pulling up the results. “I would suggest rerouting the energy so it circulates within the bracelet only instead of dispersing energy Sir.”

Tony nodded and started making some fixes with the wires.

Loki grew quiet and watched Tony work while Jarvis told him where to make the slightest adjustments.

Tony grinned when he finished making the changes then looked at Loki. “All right, let’s try it out.” He took the god’s hand and put the arm band on his wrist. 

"I only have to wear this when I'm on a mission yes?" 

Tony nodded, making a few calibrations to the bracelet before turning it on. “Yep. It’s just cloaking; it’ll keep you out of sight but that’s it.” Tony took a step back, chuckling when Loki suddenly vanished. “All right, go ahead and walk around, I’ll have Jarvis try to find you.”

Loki moved around the room silent as the grave, or a cat as his mother use to say.

“It seems the cloaking device is working quiet well; I cannot find Mr. Laufeyson.” Jarvis finally spoke after a few minutes. Tony grinned and nodded. 

“All right. So, what do you think Loki? Like it?”

"Very much." Loki smiled as he moved to the other side of the room.

Tony smiled and nodded, leaning against his table. “Good.” He looked around, trying to figure out where Loki was. “There should be a red button on it that turns the cloaking off. The green one turns it back on.”

Loki had managed to climb onto one of the cabinets in Tony's lab before turning it off. "Hello Stark."

Tony looked over and smiled a bit. “Having fun over there?” He crossed his arms then walked over. “I need to fix a few more things on it. Hey, if you want I can paint it to match your armor.”

Loki got down from the cabinet. "I was wondering if you would guess where I was." he said. "But yes having it match my armor would be nice."

Tony just shook his head. “I’m not good at tracking on my own. That’s what I have Jarvis for.” He smiled a bit then took the arm band back. “All right, it should be ready for use by tomorrow. We can test it a bit in the simulator if you want tomorrow.”

Loki nodded with a gleeful smile upon his lips. "Now shall we have dinner?"

“Dinner sounds good.” Tony hadn’t even realized he was hungry until Loki brought up dinner. He set the arm band down on the table and went upstairs with Loki. “What should we have?”

"Smoked meat sounds good." Loki said.

“Oh, I know the best person the job!” Tony grinned and had Jarvis call a crazy old Russian woman he knew. She ran a small business, but she made the best smoked meats he’d ever tasted. 

Loki looked at Tony confused and asked him to explain. 

“I know this lady that makes really good meats. I can order some from her then we can make whatever we want with it.” Tony placed his order then looked at the god. “I don’t have anything to make smoked meats here.”

Loki smiled and licked his lips. "Sounds good to me." 

Tony chuckled. “You’re gonna love it.” 

The food arrived some time later and Tony set it on the island. He paid the delivery boy then grinned. 

“We have food!”

Loki smiled as he reached for the bag and started to go for it.

Tony grabbed a piece of meat and took a bite. It was so delicious. The way the meat was salted and spiced. He hummed in his throat. 

“So, how do you like it?”

Loki didn't answer with food in his mouth and as he reached for more. 

Tony shook his head as he watched the god. “Guess that means yes.” He chuckled a bit and kept eating his food. 

“Sir, Director Fury has sent you a message.”

“All right. Go ahead and file it for me.”

“Deleting now Sir.”

Loki stopped. "You aren't even going to listen to what he has to say?" The god asked. 

Tony paused and looked at Loki. “It’s just mission feedback. He probably wants me to scan the portals and see if I can figure out where they link to.” He shrugged. “Besides, Jarvis reads every message I get; he’ll tell me what it is later.”

“I’ve learned that Mr. Stark does not enjoy sifting through long documents and calls on his own, so I summarize them for him.” The AI added.

Loki nodded in understanding. "Very well." he said. "The portals are going to keep opening and something will come through them. Who is doing this I don't know." He said. 

Tony sighed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. “Can you tell where they’re opening from though? I mean, at least that way I could tell Thor and he’d be able to find out more about this.” Though Tony was good at what he did, he didn’t exactly have the technology to search other realms. He could analyze those portals to pieces and not come up with anything useful. 

"I can't tell you where they are going to open from. I know that the beast that came through this day were from Vanaheim." Loki said. “It may be forces simply working on their own and soon it will pass. But if it is a portal I must go." he said. 

Tony looked at the god tentatively. “I’ll talk to Thor about it, see if he can’t figure more out on his end. I don’t want you jumping through portals just yet though.” The playboy looked at Loki with worry in his eyes. What if Loki lost his powers when he passed through? Or worse: what if he didn’t come back?

"I'm not going to go jumping through any of these portals but we should wait to see where the next few portals lead." 

“I could try to send a tracker through it. I’d have to find a way for it to relay information back to me without cutting out when the portal closes though.” Tony thought for a moment. “Jarvis, how quick do you think you’d be able to get a reading from a tracker?”

“That depends on how long the portals are open. If they can be maintained for at least one minute, then I can triangulate a location quite well.”

"Sir this might not be possible it's thousands possibly billions of light years away." he said.

“Look, I only need you to get a quick reading. You were still functional when I went through that wormhole, right?”

“True, though I quickly lost power and connection.”

Tony frowned, not liking this. He put his fingers together in thought, his mind reeling. 

“What if…you just measure where the portal is coming from? It doesn’t have to be exact, but enough for Loki to get an idea?”

"I can't get an idea without going." He said. "That itself could prove to be a mission. Those portals could be opening at the bottom of some trench or an ocean. They could be opening and you're going to be hanging in midair falling to your death."

“Then we’re back at square one.” Tony scoffed, clearly upset about this. His mind raced with alternatives, some way that he could figure these things out. 

“Sir, there’s always the possibility of simply destabilizing the portals so nothing can get through.”

Tony perked a bit. “You’re right, huh? If nothing can get through then it doesn’t matter where they’re coming from.” He looked at Loki. “Do you think it could work?”

"No don't destabilize them." Loki said. "That could possibly make them open more." 

“Fuck!” Tony said loudly and hung his head back with a growl. He ran his hands over his face. “Please tell me you have an idea.” He looked at Loki. 

"Not one that won’t end up without possibly dying. You can only wait for them. Look what came out when the last portals were opened. The portal I came through could have killed me."

Tony nodded, pursing his lips. “How do we do this?”


	45. Chapter 45

“It may be best to simply wait for the portals to open and ask Mr. Odinson to see if there is similar activity coming from Asgard.”  
“What if they move to another location by then?”  
"They will never open in the same place twice."   
“So they’ll be shifting constantly.” Tony frowned, tapping his foot and nibbling on his thumb. Hundreds of different ideas ran through his mind. “We’ll just have to see if Thor can find where they open on the other side. I can’t think of anything else.”   
Loki nodded. "If I can get close enough to them during missions when I close them up I could possibly tell where they are but there's a great possibility they may be opening everywhere and anywhere."  
Tony nodded at Loki’s words. “Is there a chance these are just random fluctuations? I mean, they don’t seem focused enough to be actual attacks.”   
“The energy did change quite sporadically during the first attack Sir. From what I monitored, the portals were not as stable as those we have encountered before.”  
"Which means whatever or whoever is causing them to open has never done this before so as long as I am there they will be easy to close."  
“If this is an amateur, do you think they’re doing this on accident? Maybe they don’t realize that they’re actually sending creatures here?” Tony looked at the god truly curious.  
"Well that’s just it you can't make creatures like those go where they don’t want to. Most likely the person using the spell isn't very well trained and opened it and those beast just happened to walk through."   
Tony was relieved to hear this. At least they weren’t directly under attack. “So I guess we’re just stuck going around and closing these portals whenever they show up.” He shrugged; it was better than preparing for full-scale attack.   
Loki nodded. "That would be the simple way of putting it.”  
“All right. I’ll tell Fury I talked to Thor and we got this problem fixed.” Tony shrugged, pursing his lips a bit. He didn’t like the idea of giving Thor credit for Loki’s help, but Fury would skin them alive if he knew the god was helping. “You mind getting dragged around to close portals?”  
"Not at all." Loki said. "What’s in the other realms needs to stay there. Thor wouldn’t know how to close them anyway."   
Tony chuckled a bit and nodded. “Guess you’re right huh? He’s more the beat-it-to-death type.”   
"That's always been his answer to everything."   
Tony smiled at Loki then stood and served himself more meat. He grabbed a beer and sat back down. “That was my dad’s answer to everything too.”  
Loki picked up another bit of meat to eat.  
Tony took a bite of his meal, licking his lips a bit.   
"May I have a bottle of water please?" he asked.   
Tony nodded and stood, grabbing a bottle for the god and handing it to him.   
“Sir, I have finished analyzing the portal data and have sent copies to Director Fury. When will you be informing him of your new plan?”  
“Not just yet. I want to run it by Thor real quick in case Fury actually talks to him.”  
“Of course Sir.”  
"Still dumb as a box of rocks." Loki grumbled to himself.   
Tony looked at Loki and chuckled a bit at his comment. “Who, Thor or Fury?” He sipped his own drink then picked up his plate. “I’ll talk to Thor so he’ll help us with our little white lie. We can tell Fury he found someone that can close the portals on the other side.” He shrugged. It was a stupid lie, but Fury wouldn’t know better anyway.  
"But in truth it will be me closing them." Loki stated. He hated letting Thor have his credit. Thor had been taking the credit for years.  
Tony nodded then sat with the god. “I’m sorry it has to be this way. If it were up to me, we’d be telling everybody that you’re the one that closed those portals.” He looked at Loki apologetically. “But it’s just for a little while.”  
Loki shoved more food in his mouth. Without his magic it was a bad habit he'd picked up.   
Tony watched the god and shook his head a bit. “You’re gonna make yourself sick eating like that.” He finished his beer then checked a few things on his phone. He absently added a few things and removed things from his schedule.   
“Jarvis, reschedule this meeting Pepper has.”  
“Will she not be upset with you Sir?”  
“Tell her she can have that weekend off; she’s been stressing out about it.”  
Loki frowned and shoved more into his face before drinking some water to help it go down.   
Tony just shook his head as he watched Loki eat. He certainly looked more like Thor the way he shoved food into his mouth. “All right, no more food.” Tony grabbed the box and put it in the fridge.   
Loki finished what he had in his mouth and headed off to his room with his glass of water.  
Tony watched the god go then ran his hands over his face. “You’re welcome!” He frowned a bit then headed back down to his lab.  
“He’s upset Sir.”  
“I know he is Jarvis but I can’t just magically make everything better!” Tony sat down in his lab, pursing his lips. He didn’t like having to lie about Loki helping any more than the god did but they didn’t have many options.  
"You could have just let him eat." Jarvis said. "It seemed to be making him feel better."  
“All right genius, and then when he gets sick what do I do?” Tony snapped back at the AI then kept working on his earlier project. He burned his hand on his welding gun and just sat there fuming for a moment before going upstairs.  
"Let him deal with it. Sir he's going to have to find a way to deal with his anger and his feelings on his own." Jarvis said.   
Tony grumbled a bit but knew Jarvis was right. For something that wasn’t even human, Jarvis certainly was wise. Tony put some ointment on the burn and huffed a bit.  
“I know you’re trying to fix everything Sir, but you must also let him deal with the pain that will cause.”  
Tony was quiet a moment when Jarvis said this. He just didn’t want Loki to call it quits.   
"Sir you've pulled him out of that stage but now it’s time you let him walk on his own two feet." Jarvis said.   
Tony nodded quietly then walked out into the living room. “Remind me to talk to Thor when we get back. Tell Fury I’m meeting with him and then I’ll tell him the rest.”  
“Very well Sir.”  
He felt so tired suddenly. Tony dragged himself over to the couch and fell onto it.  
Loki's stomach did hurt a bit more from stuffing himself as he had but it passed after a while.   
Tony slept on the couch that night, which he greatly regretted the next morning. These weren’t nearly as comfortable as the ones he had back at the tower. He was sore and stiff everywhere.  
"You did say you wanted to buy new couches for your home here, Sir, so you wouldn't wake up in pain every time you slept on them." Jarvis reminded him.   
“Thanks for the early reminder Jarvis.” Tony groaned and got himself up slowly. His back popped loudly and he whined.   
“Might I suggest a hot bath Sir?”  
“Yeah, that might do the trick.” Tony rubbed his lower back and headed to his bathroom.   
Loki was tucked into his bed under a mound of blankets that he'd gotten up to get in the middle of the night.   
Once the tub was full of hot water, Tony sank in and sighed. His body immediately began to relax and he smiled a bit.   
“Much better.”  
“Shall I order your new couches Sir?”  
“Yeah, go ahead.” He didn’t use this house often, which was a shame. He preferred the sun and beach scenery.  
"Perhaps you should think about making this house into a second Avengers headquarters." Jarvis suggested.   
“You know what? I should. Why don’t you go ahead and send Fury an email, so if he’ll go for it.”  
“Of course Sir.”  
Loki finally woke up out of what looked to be a nest of sorts.  
“Good morning Mr. Laufeyson. Did you sleep well?” Jarvis asked the god and did a quick scan to make sure he wasn’t sick.   
He nodded with a yawn. "Yes Jarvis I'm fine." Loki said  
“That’s good to hear Mr. Laufeyson. I’m afraid this vacation will need to be cut short. The Director has asked that Mr. Stark do more analysis of the portals from his tower.”  
Loki sighed. "Couldn't leave us be for all of two weeks." Loki grumbled. Getting up the god stormed his way into the kitchen to put out the smoked meat from the night before.   
“You can always return another time Mr. Laufeyson. And once this location becomes converted into another Avengers headquarters, you will not need Director Fury’s permission to visit.”   
Tony finished his bath after a while and got dressed again. He walked out of the room, his hair brushed back as he waited for it to dry.   
“Jarvis, have you gotten a reply back from Fury?”  
“He is seriously considering it Sir.”  
"Jarvis I'd really like silence right now." Loki grumbled.   
"Of course Sir, Sorry." he said.   
Tony walked past the kitchen, engrossed in his tablet.   
“All right, we’re going to need something that looks like it’s working to close the portals without actually disrupting the energy.”  
“I can have a few designs ready for you Sir, though you will have to return to Stark tower today.”  
Tony sighed but figured as much. He had more equipment at the tower and couldn’t exactly talk to Thor from his house in Maui.   
“All right, get everything ready for me.”  
"Already working on it Sir. The plane will be ready to go in two hours." Jarvis told him.   
“All right, thanks.” Tony scrolled through his tablet, making some designs for the machine. It would have be convincing enough for Fury to believe it was helping to close the portals.


	46. Chapter 46

“Remind me to contact Thor as soon as we get back.”  
“Of course Sir. Also, Ms. Potts has replied. She thanks you for the weekend vacation.”  
"She promises to visit you in New York." Jarvis added. Loki took the box with him to the bedroom so he could pack as well.   
Tony did a few more things on his tablet then went to his room to pack his things. He really wished they could have stayed longer. It was kind of nice to see Loki smile so much.   
“Hey Jarvis, transfer Loki’s simulation over to the tower, would you?”  
“Of course Sir.”  
Once he was packed Loki sat in his room waiting for the cue to be given that it was time to leave.  
Tony walked out with his things and his assistants got everything in the car. He looked at Loki and gave a little smile.   
“Sorry we have to leave so soon. Next time we’ll stay longer.”  
Loki shrugged at him much like a disappointed teenager that rather not talk at all.  
Tony nodded a bit then headed out to the car with Loki. They were driven to the private plan and they boarded quietly.   
Loki watched as they took off. "What will we do when we return?"   
“When we get back to New York? I have to build a fake machine for Fury, talk to Thor and we’ll need to stay ready in case another portal opens up. You’ll have to be ready in case we need to leave without much warning.” Tony looked at the god then back at his tablet. “Jarvis, why don’t you go with the third design?”  
Loki nodded. "My armor is always prepared and ready to go."  
Tony smiled a bit. “Good. Fury’ll probably call us when there’s another portal starting to open. Don’t forget the cloaking device I made for you.”  
"Did you paint it black so I can attach it to my armor?" he asked.   
Tony shook his head. “Not just yet; I’ll get it painted when we get back to the tower. Oh, how did the earpiece fit?”  
"It's annoying." he replied. "I don't like the feel of it in my ear."   
“Sorry about that. I guess it’ll take some getting used to but it’s the only way I’ll be able to communicate with you when we go on missions.” Tony chuckled slightly.   
Loki nodded. "Very well." he said.   
They arrived back at the tower soon enough and Tony’s assistants packed his things.  
“Jarvis get the paint gun ready for me.”  
“I already did Sir and the pain is ready as well. Also, the machine layout has been set up.”  
“Thanks.” Tony looked at Loki. “I’ll be in the lab most of the night, so if you need anything just call me, okay?” He offered a little smile then headed down to his lab.  
Loki nodded and let Stark go on his way. Loki was confused as to why Stark would need a gun.  
Tony went down to his lab and painted Loki’s cloaking device. He set it up so Jarvis could test it again, putting it under rigorous strain to make sure it worked right.   
“Go ahead and get the components for the machine out; I have to talk to Thor.” Tony headed up to the roof and took a deep breath, bracing himself. “Heimdall!”  
The old gatekeeper was surprised when he looked to see that the mortal man was calling upon Thor himself.   
Tony waited a moment then portal opened and had to shield his eyes from the light. After a moment it cleared and he coughed a bit.   
“Do you have to make such a big entrance?” Tony looked at Thor. “Can’t you just zap here you know, discretely?”  
Thor shook his head. "There is no other way to travel." he said. "Now why have you called upon me?"  
“I need to talk to you about something. There have been unstable portals opening up here and the most recent one actually brought something through. Loki thinks it might be an accident or some kid messing with magic. I need you to pretend that you found somebody on your end that can close them in case Fury talks to you.”  
Thor’s brows furrowed in curiosity. “You wish me to lie?”  
“It’s just about this. Loki’s the one that helped us on the last mission, but we still can’t let Fury know about it. I just need you to tell him you found a wizard or whatever to close the portals from the other side.”  
Thor nodded. "Very well Man of iron.' Thor said with a sigh. "May I speak with my brother? I wish to know how he is doing."   
Tony hesitated a moment, pursing his lips. “I’ll see if he wants to talk to you. Why don’t you just wait up here a sec?” Tony went back inside and walked over to Loki’s room. He poked his head into the god’s room. “Thor wants to see you.”  
"Funny I don't want to see him." Loki replied flipping to the next page in his book.   
“I thought not.” Tony went back up to the roof, feeling a bit bad for Thor. “He doesn’t want to see you yet Point Break.” He offered a little apologetic smile. “I’m sorry Bug Guy.”  
"Why does my brother still hate me? I have not seen him in over a year why must we keep having this bout?" he asked.   
“I don’t know what to tell you Thor. He’s only told me small bits and pieces about his life. All I can tell you is that he’s mad for a reason.” Tony shrugged a bit. He knew about the strain in Loki and Thor’s relationship, but he couldn’t even begin to imagine just how dark it was. “Just give him a little time.”  
"My brother has had a year's of time to get over this." He said.   
“Look, I’m not the one telling him to stay mad at you. He doesn’t hate you Thor; he’s just pissed about everything that’s happened, okay? He’s trying to get over this but he needs time.”   
Thor sighed. "Fine." he said. Thor took his leave.  
Tony sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before going back inside. He wondered for a moment if maybe he shouldn’t tell Thor that Loki was tortured. But of course until he knew the thunder god wouldn’t blow up half the earth, that wasn’t an option.   
The inventor went back into his lab and kept working on his fake portal-busting machine.  
Loki ended up finishing his book and went to get another one from the library.   
There wasn’t much work to do on the machine. It was mostly just there to make pretty lights and give off energy signals.   
“Anything from Fury yet?”  
“Yes Sir. He has okayed the Maui house as a second Avengers headquarters after speaking with the other members of the group.”  
Tony chuckled. “I take it they liked the idea?”  
“Very much so Sir. Also, he has asked if you have spoken with Thor about the portals.”  
“Tell him yes and feed him our story.”  
“Very well Sir.”  
Going back to his room Loki put the book back down. "Alright Jarvis we haven't done played chess in a while would you like to have a game?"  
"Certainly Sir."   
Jarvis brought up the game for them to play. “Also Mr. Laufeyson, your memories from the simulator have been transferred here. I could easily pull up a game of chess if in there if you would like.”  
Tony listened to his music as he worked on his machine. It was kind of fun to have such a big, secret plan like this.  
"No I'll stay here and play, thank you though Jarvis." He said.   
“Very well Sir.” He started the round for them.  
Tony finished the machine after a few hours then went upstairs to get a drink.  
“Make sure it’s giving off false-positives Jarvis.”  
“Of course Sir. I’ve set it to give off frequencies similar to the portals so it seems you are scanning them when the machine is turned on.”  
“All right.”  
"By the way Sir Director Fury has bought the story that you've had me give him." Jarvis explained.   
“Good! Let’s just keep this going and see what happens. How are the portals?”  
“There are high energy spots but none that have actually opened yet. Mostly they appear for a few second, five minutes at most.”  
“Keep an eye on em for me.”  
"Shall do Sir. Anything open longer than an hour I shall tell you and alert the others."  
“All right, thanks Jarvis. Also, what’s my schedule like tomorrow?” Tony looked at the calendar on his phone and felt his heart sink a bit when he saw the date.   
“I have made arrangements for you Sir.” The AI said quietly after a moment. Tony nodded and sat down, feeling his strength leave him.  
“Fifteen years since they died.”  
“I know Sir. I am so sorry.”  
"Ms. Potts said she would like you and her to spend the day together tomorrow."   
“Tell her I’m…I’m gonna be busy.” Tony had something of a tradition. Each year, he’d go to his parent’s graves and tell them about what he’d done during that time. It was silly, borderline idiotic, but he got to pretend for a moment that they were listening to him. Mostly he’d talk to his mother; his father never much cared for what he had to say.  
"Shall I plan something for Mr. Laufey?" Jarvis asked.  
“Yeah, make sure he’s not bored.”  
“Very well Sir.”


	47. Chapter 47

Tony sat in the lab quietly then decided he’d best tell Loki what was going to happen tomorrow; he’d be leaving early in the morning. He stood and went upstairs, though his feet felt heavy.

"Sir I would advise against going to him right now he's taking a nap." Jarvis said.

Tony stopped in the hall and nodded. “Tell you what, if he doesn’t wake up before I leave, you tell him, okay?” Tony walked into his room and fell over onto his bed.

"Shall do Sir. Shall I arrange for your usual arrangement of flowers for you to take?" 

Tony nodded. “Yeah. I’m leaving early in the morning.” Tony closed his eyes for the night, though he didn’t sleep as well as he’d hoped. 

He woke up early the next morning and got ready to leave. The plane was waiting outside for him and SHIELD agents were ready for when he left. Fury himself even stopped by a moment for a quick visit. 

“You gonna be all right Stark?”

“Yeah, it’s just a quick visit.”

Fury nodded a bit. “You’ll let me know if you need anything.”

Tony looked at the director then away. “Loki’s still asleep. He’ll probably stay in his room all day but I’ve got the tower on its usual lock down.”

Fury nodded. "Fine by me but we're still keeping an eye on the place." Fury said. 

“Yeah, I know.”

“Just be sure I can reach you in case another portal opens up.” Fury said as he looked at the man.

“I’ll have my suit just in case.” Tony said then got onto his plane. He set the briefcase down and looked at the fresh flowers on the seat next to him.

Jarvis kept himself quiet for his creators benefit. 

At the tower Loki was about the tower on his own though he did take to his room most of the time. 

The plane landed at its location soon enough and Tony got off. He got into one of his cars, which was waiting there for him, and drove to the cemetery. He never invited anyone to go with him on this day; he always felt better going alone. 

"Jarvis what topic of conversation is there that we haven't done yet?" Loki asked. 

“There are many Mr. Laufeyson, though I am factoring in any topic over which a discussion can be had.” The AI replied. “If you would like, you may simply ask me any question and we shall see where that goes.”

Tony walked to his parent’s tombs and smiled sadly, setting the flowers on his mother’s spot. 

“Been another year. I let my hair grow out. I think it looks good but Pepper says I look like I’m trying too hard.” Tony chuckled a bit.

Loki chuckled as he got himself settled in to think of a topic.

"Are there anymore gaps you would like to fill in about Norse mythology?"

“More than you can imagine.” Jarvis started by asking about the nine realms and how they came to be. 

“I have a new roommate. You remember last year I told you about that attack on New York? Well, turns out it wasn’t as simple as I thought it was. That guy, Loki, he’s had a pretty hard life. I’ve been trying to help him get back home, but it’s getting kinda hard.” Tony went on about how it was living with Loki and their little plan.

Loki thought of the stories the scholars told him about how the nine were created and he slowly began to tell Jarvis the story as well. 

Jarvis recorded everything, updating his information before asking Loki more about the battle between Jotunheim and Asgard.

“He’s really nice, you know? I mean, once you get past how weird he is. He likes to be alone a lot, and he’s really quiet. But he helped get rid of my fear of thunderstorms.” Tony smiled at his mother’s tomb then pursed his lips sadly. “I really wish you could meet him.”

Loki explained to Jarvis the history of the battle as it had been told to him and to what had been written in the records of Asgard. 

Jarvis listened quietly then asked about the warriors three and lady Sif.

Tony continued talking about what had happened during the year. He chuckled a bit then glanced up when it started to rain. 

“I have to go but I’ll be back next year.” He smiled sadly then turned and headed to his car.

Loki explained how they all grew up together though the warriors three were a decent year older than he and Thor and that they grew up with Sif to the point that she was considered to be their sister. 

“There are many tales told of you and your brother here on earth; may I know how much of these stories is true?” Jarvis pulled up a few tales so Loki could debunk them.

Tony sat in his car for a while, staring at an old picture of him and his mother. It was back when he was a boy and his mother took him to Disney Land. He smiled as he remembered that day, and how they rode every single ride.

"Many are true but over the centuries it seems that the stories have changed and though they have the base of the tale some parts of it have been left out." 

“I see. I had always thought these stories to be complete fantasy. It is something of a relief to hear that they are not entirely false.” Jarvis updated his information. “Would it be too intrusive of me to ask about your mother, Mr. Laufeyson?”

Tony listened to the rain for a few minutes before letting his pilots know he was on his way back. He checked the time; he’d been gone almost five hours now. 

"Not at all." Loki smiled. Loki spoke of Frigga fondly. How she was kind and gentle and understanding.

“She sounds like a quite a remarkable woman, Mr. Laufeyson. You said she is the one who taught you magic, correct? Does your magic differ from hers, considering you are Jotun and she is not?”

“Sir?” Jarvis spoke to Tony after a little while.

“I’m okay Jarvis.”

“I have coffee waiting for you when you return.”

“Thanks.” Tony got onto his plane, checking some things on his phone. “How’s Loki?”

“He and I are having some very interesting conversations Sir.”

"Not really no. But mine is far more powerful than hers is." he said. "But then again her gift has waned over the years as she's grown older and when I grow older mine will do the same." 

“That is quite understandable. Age wears all things down. Mr. Laufeyson, might I ask where you learned your gift of deception?”

Tony arrived back in New York after a few hours, feeling oddly tired. He drove back to the tower and headed inside. 

Loki thought about the answer to the question. "I've always been deceiving people Jarvis." Loki said. "Since I was a baby I have been deceiving people by hiding what I really was and I didn’t even know it."

“Then it was born more as a defense mechanism than actual desire?” Jarvis asked.

Tony walked into his room and the tower’s security was restored to the usual. The SHIELD agents left and all was quiet again. The playboy flopped onto his bed, not wanting to move from that spot.

“I miss her Jarvis.”

“I know you do Sir. And believe me when I say that I would do anything to bring your mother back.”

"That’s what it started out as." Loki replied. “Then I started to lie to Thor to keep things to myself or to get out of his dumb adventures and I took it from there." 

“It certainly sounds like it would be a useful gift to have in such cases.”

Tony stared at his hand and closed his eyes for a moment. He got off the bed and slipped out of his suit, putting on more casual clothes  
.  
Loki yawned after a while. He and Jarvis had been talking for hours. "Jarvis I'm going to have a nap and then we may talk more." 

"Certainly Sir." 

Tony sat at the island, staring at an empty glass. This was the one day he wouldn’t drink, not even a drop of liquor. 

“Shall I call Ms. Potts over Sir?”

“No, I don’t…I don’t want to talk to anybody.”

"Sir you should consider at least eating something before taking a rest." Jarvis said. 

“I’m not hungry Jarvis.” Tony flicked his glass a bit then sighed, running his fingers through his hair. 

"Then sleep well, Sir." 

Tony nodded and stayed up a while longer before going to sleep on the couch.

Jarvis waited until Loki woke up from his nap to ask him if he could place a blanket over Tony. 

Tony fussed and whimpered as he slept, dreaming of his mother leaving. He grumbled quietly and turned on his side.

After placing the blanket over Tony, Loki brushed his fingers through the brunette's hair hushing him. 

Tony leaned into the touch, relaxing slightly. A tear rolled down his cheek but he smiled weakly as he slept.

Loki stopped after a little while and went on off to bed. 

Tony slept easier the rest of the night. When he woke the next morning, it was raining outside.

“Good morning Sir.”

“Morning.” He yawned and stretched then noticed the blanket on him. He frowned puzzled. “Jarvis, did you do this?”

“No Sir, Mr. Laufeyson did.”

"He's yet to wake up this morning. Though it won't be much longer before he does." Jarvis replied. 

Tony nodded and stood. “Remind me to thank him when he wakes up.”


	48. Chapter 48

“Are you feeling better now Sir?”  
“Yeah. I like to schedule all my sadness for one day.” Tony chuckled a bit.  
"I shall keep that in mind, Sir. Doctor Banner is returning tonight." Jarvis shared.   
“Oh yeah? Is he coming straight back here or stopping by SHIELD first?” Tony checked a few things on his phone as he walked into the kitchen.  
"Straight to the tower Sir. He will be arriving at one in the morning." Jarvis informed him.   
“All right. Loki still asleep?” Tony started the coffee maker then reached for a granola bar.  
"Yes, Sir. It's very early in the morning. Only 7:13"   
“Oh. Guess it is pretty early.” Tony shrugged then served himself some coffee and headed towards his lab.   
Loki woke up a good hour later. "Good morning Jarvis." He greeted.   
“Good morning Mr. Laufeyson. Did you sleep well?”  
Tony sat at the island with his tablet and a drink. He was checking through the functions of the machine he’d just made.   
“You can still collected data with this right Jarvis?”  
“Yes Sir.”  
Loki nodded. After pushing his fingers through his hair as he headed for the kitchen. "Good morning."  
Tony looked at the god. “Morning. Hope Fury didn’t give you any trouble yesterday.” Tony finished his drink then set his plans aside.   
"He did not." Loki replied. "By the way, where did you go?"   
Tony was quiet a moment then shrugged as he served himself more coffee. “Had an errand to run, nothing big. I didn’t think you’d want to get dragged out of bed so I just let you stay here.”  
Loki nodded. "Very well, thank you."   
Tony was secretly thankful the god didn’t press the issue. He sipped his coffee. “I finished testing and painting your cloaking device. It’s ready for the next time you come with us on a mission.”  
Loki nodded. "Thank you. Shall I make breakfast or have you eaten?"   
Tony perked a bit and tried to hide a smile. “Well, I mean if you want I won’t force you but…do you think you could teach me to make pancakes?” He smiled and batted his lashes at Loki.  
"Very well. Come over here." Loki replied.   
Tony went over, watching what the god did carefully. “Be patient with me okay? I suck at cooking.”  
Loki frowned at this. "Then the nine help us."  
Tony looked at the god and pouted. “Well if you don’t wanna do it I’ll ask Jarvis.”   
“Sir, it is a joke.”  
"And you say I cannot take a joke." he said.   
Tony narrowed his eyes at the god. “All right quit being cute and teach me.” He crossed his arms.   
"Alright." Loki frowned. He got Tony started on the pancake batter which Loki had committed to memory.   
Tony tried his best to do everything just as Loki said. While he was good with measurements and portions, he wasn’t good at much else. If there weren’t number involved, his brain didn’t know what to do. He ended up cracking an egg and getting yolk all over his arm and shirt and was covered in flour stains.   
"How on earth did you manage to live this long into your life without knowing how to cook?" Loki asked.   
“I never learned. I spent most of my childhood in a boarding school; I didn’t have to cook while I was there. After that, I was too busy with work to cook for myself so I would just order out or pay someone to cook for me.” Tony shrugged then tasted the batter he’d made. He grinned triumphantly; it didn’t taste too bad for his first try.   
Loki tasted the batter as well and nodded in satisfaction. "Now the hard part: cooking it."   
Tony’s smile faded and he looked at the griddle with dread. He took a deep breath and followed Loki’s instruction. He poured a small amount onto the griddle. He flipped the first one too soon and it splattered batter all over the stove.   
Loki told him to wait longer then second time and to wait for the bubbles to show up on the one side of the pancake.   
Tony tried again and waited, though he waited a bit too long. His pancake was crisp on one side and pale on the other. He frowned but he was determined to learn this, if nothing else. He tried again and again until his pancakes had good color.   
“Hah! Look at that, it’s beautiful!”  
"Yes it is. Now is it edible?"   
“Who cares, it’s perfect!” Tony grinned then paused a moment and bit it. Not the best, but for his first he was rather pleased. “What do you think?”  
"It will sustain us." Loki replied.   
Tony smiled, clearly proud of his little accomplishment. He’d get better with practice. He made a few more pancakes and served himself. He smothered them in butter and syrup.   
“Enjoy!”  
“Sir, perhaps it would be best not to get Mr. Laufeyson sick so early in the morning.”  
“Haha, oh you’re so cute!”  
Loki sighed. He found something else to eat in place of pancakes since Stark had managed to ruin most of the ones he made.   
Tony pouted a bit when he saw Loki wasn’t eating his pancakes. “I suck.”  
“Sir, this is the first time you’ve made pancakes, of course you suck.”  
“Thanks Jarvis, you make me feel so much better.” He said sarcastically.  
"Stark your pancakes on this plate are the ones you messed up. Half raw, half burnt, egg shells." Loki replied.   
Tony looked at Loki and rolled his eyes. “At least I tried.”  
“All things considered, I am rather proud that you did not simply quit Sir.”  
“Jarvis, not helping!”  
Loki nodded and started to make enough batter for himself.   
Tony watched the god quietly then went back to his breakfast. “Jarvis, how are those portals looking?”  
“You may be receiving another call quite soon Sir. The portals have become very active in Europe.”  
Loki looked up. "How many Jarvis?" he asked.   
“So far I have detected five portals that have the highest potential to fully open.” The AI pulled up a map so they could get a better look. “The portals are scattered, though thankfully not more than an hour apart.”  
Tony looked everything over, plotting where the portals were.   
"Perhaps we should go and see to them now before they open and people find them." Loki suggested.  
“Fury’s probably got agents checking these out, monitoring and making sure there aren’t any civilians in area.” Tony looked at the god. “We’ll need to wait until he calls us in to see em.” Tony chuckled a bit. “Excited to go back out?”  
Loki nodded. "Of course I am." Loki smiled.  
Tony nodded and chuckled a bit. “Guess I would be too if I were in your position.” He stood and looked a few things over on his tablet, picking up his plate. “Keep an eye on those for me Jarvis and go ahead and keep my suit ready.”  
“Of course Sir. Also, Mr. Laufeyson, the cloaking device is in the lab for when you leave.”  
"Thank you Jarvis." Loki smiled. He flexed his fingers, wanting to feel the power in them once more.   
Tony smiled at the god then shook his head a bit. “Let’s just hope nothing too bad comes out of these portals.”  
Fury called a few short hours later. Apparently, something quit big and rather nasty had crawled through the portals, at least this time it was only one creature.   
Tony quickly got his suit on and made sure Loki had everything.   
“You want a ride there or you gonna teleport again?” Tony looked at Loki as he stood out on the balcony.  
"I'll teleport again." Loki replied. Loki would need to wait for a few minutes. If everyone was focused on the creature they wouldn't notice it.  
Tony nodded and flipped on his visor. “All right, be sure to tell me when you get there and be careful.” He took off into the sky, flying to SHIELD before the Avengers were all taken to location.   
The creature had rampaged well past SHIELD barriers and was being temporarily held back by the Hulk. Even the Hulk was having trouble keeping it back however; the beast was nearly twice his size.   
“Do we have anything to kill it?”  
“Just try pushing it back towards the portal! Our guns won’t go much against this thing!” Fury said to the others. They stayed within range to shoot but were careful not to get hit. Tony didn’t mind getting in close though. Wearing a suit would ensure he didn’t get hurt nearly as badly as his allies.  
Loki waited until they were pushing the creature back towards the portal before helping to push it the rest of the way.  
Tony and the Hulk rushed the creature, giving it one more push to help Loki’s magic push it back through the portal. The thing howled out loudly and thrashed, throwing back Tony and the Hulk. The playboy groaned as he landed and quickly got back up.   
“Sir.”  
“I’m fine Jarvis.” Tony opened a link to the communicator Loki had. “You closing the portal?”  
"Working on it. It's hard to do when the creature is trying to force his way back in." Loki said.   
“I’ll handle it.” Tony charged his blasters and rammed into the beast again, trying to knock it back. The Hulk roared and ran over as well, pushing the beast back hard. It clung on though, trying to pull its way through.


	49. Chapter 49

Loki gave a good shove with a spell he'd used many times before resuming to close the portal.

The creature fought but vanished as the portal closed. Tony landed and sighed relieved, flipping is visor up. 

“I think we’re good.”

The Hulk stood close to Tony before slowly turning back into Bruce. The man stood there, shaking slightly and smiled at Tony. 

“Guess so.”

"Guys we just got another call from Fury another portal opened twenty minutes from here." Steve informed them. 

Tony nodded then spoke to Loki in his earpiece. “Twenty minutes west, another portal opened up.” He took off into the sky and flew in the direction of the other portal. Sure enough, there was another gaping portal open. People scrambled from the area, though most had already been evacuated. Fury had his agents clearing the scene while the Avengers and Loki handled the rest. 

Tony landed and look around as a few, thankfully smaller creatures burst through. There were, however, quite a few of them. He blasted at one, grateful at least that they would be easy to toss back. 

The others not wanting to be injured or hurt ran back off into the portal they came from. 

Tony fired little blasts near the creatures, guiding them back to the portal. 

“We’ve got another one opening up near the bay!” Fury said into the communicators. “Stark, Banner, get on that one, leave this mess to the others!”

Tony nodded then opened his channel to Loki. “There’s another portal opening up near here. Move down there when you get a chance.” He took off with the Hulk. 

Loki hurried to close the one portal and moved to follow Stark and the Hulk to get to the other. The rest of the avengers followed close behind.

Tony looked around, not seeing anything coming out of the portal. They were in luck with this one at least. He opened his communicator to Loki. “I don’t see anything coming out of this one. Might be able to just close-“ Something threw him back suddenly and Tony groaned a bit. He got up and set Jarvis to scan. 

“I cannot detect anything Sir. Whatever is here, I cannot see it.”

“That’s just great!” Tony tried to hone in on it then got thrown again. The Hulk growled angrily, but couldn’t see anything. 

“Sir, I am picking up its signal from scattered energy waves. It is quite difficult; I have never scanned anything like this before.”

“Can you tell me where it is?”

Loki rushed over to help Stark and Hulk as quickly as possible. 

"You just had to open your damn mouth." Loki grumbled. 

Tony rolled his eyes and shook his head, blasting at the thing when Jarvis caught it in the scans again. He tossed it back then charged for stronger hit. 

“Sorry that I don’t know about these things like you do Loki.” He replied upset then lasted again. 

The Hulk smashed at where the creature stood, sending it flying back.

"Get out of the way both of you." Loki ordered. He was going to destroy the beast once and for all.

 

Tony and the Hulk both got out of the way, jumping a bit as Loki killed the creature. 

“Jarvis, are there any more of those things?” Tony looked around so the AI could scan the area.

"Thank fully there are none Sir." Jarvis replied. Loki set about closing the portal after the beast went limp as its last breath left its body.

Tony looked at the thing and sighed relieved when the portal was closed. 

“Any more?”

“No Sir, the other portals are too weak to open at the moment.”

“Finally.”

"I'll see you back at the tower." Loki told him before quickly leaving.

Tony stayed behind a while longer, talking to Fury and discussing the things he’d scanned. He was thankful he’d adjusted his suit to handle greater impact, otherwise the pain in his chest would be much worse. 

Tony returned to the tower with Bruce and sighed relieved. “We’re gonna get old fast doing this.”

Bruce chuckled a bit and nodded. “You think?” He stretched a bit, rubbing his neck. 

"Jarvis, Did Loki make it back alright?" Bruce asked.

"He did Doctor Banner." The AI responded. 

Bruce nodded and flexed his arms a bit, working the knots out of his shoulders. 

Tony got out of his suit and poured himself a drink. “How’s the data looking Jarvis?”

“So far it seems Director Fury is believing what you sent him. He does not suspect that Loki is leaving the tower.”

“Good.”

Loki came out of the bathroom with a towel on his head from having just showered. 

"Doctor Banner." He greeted.

"Hey Loki." 

Tony looked at the god then grabbed some pain medication from the cabinet in the kitchen. 

“Are you in pain Sir?”

“Just a little.” Tony shrugged and popped two into his mouth. “You okay Reindeer Games?” Tony looked at Loki and drank some water.

"I am fine Stark. Far better for wear than you are." he replied. 

"Speaking of it's been about three weeks since I left and it's time to check you over again. This should be the last time." Bruce replied. 

Tony snorted and laughed a bit. “Hah, you have to get checked.” He grinned. 

“I need to check you too Tony. Pepper asked me to make sure your chest is all right.”

“What? No! Jarvis checks me all the time!”

Loki smirked. "Now don't pout Stark. Be a good boy and do as the doctor and Ms. Potts say." Loki smiled. 

Tony gave Loki a sarcastic smile then went with Bruce as well. The doctor chuckled and shook his head. 

“It’s just a quick check up Tony, don’t frown.” Bruce checked Loki first, noting is vitals and weight. He smiled. “Look at that, you’re actually over the target weight. Just a little, but you’re back to a healthy weight now.”

Loki smiled at this. 

"Now that you're at a healthy weight someone of your height needs to put on at least another ten pounds. Which we don't have to make a fuss about. I'm sure once you start working out again it'll be muscle you put back on instead of fat." 

“See? I’m taking good care of him.”

“Don’t flatter yourself Tony.” Bruce looked at his friend. “Lift your shirt, let me see.”

Tony rolled his eyes but removed his shirt so Bruce could examine the reactor. 

"He burnt the pancakes." Loki threw in.

"Tony still can't cook." Bruce chuckled. "Nothing serious just a bit of bruising." 

“I’m learning!” Tony huffed upset and looked away from the two of them. He put his shirt back on and crossed his arms. 

“Jarvis has the metal moved at all?”

“Only a tad, though not enough to harm anything.”

Loki frowned at this. Though he schooled his expression to another one not wanting to have to answer to what was wrong with him. 

“It doesn’t hurt, not at that much so it’s fine.”

“Your reactor still working fine?”

Tony nodded. “I switched the magnet out already and I ran diagnostics; it’s working fine.”

Bruce sighed quietly. “Good. Just remember to be careful.”

Loki got off of the table. "Might we find ourselves something to eat now that we know we are all fine." he cut in.

Tony looked at the god then grinned. “Pizza.”

“Tony…” Bruce rubbed his temples then looked at his friend.

“Hey, if you don’t want any you don’t have to eat it.”

"Could we not have something other than?" Loki asked.

"Would you like to order from one of the other restaurants in the surrounding Area?" Jarvis asked.

"Yes Jarvis, please and thank you." 

Tony looked at the god. “All right, what else do you want to eat?”

Bruce looked at Tony shocked. “So you’ll change dinner plans for him and not me?”

“He’s a guest Bruce.”

“I’m a guest!”

"I didn't say you had to change your plans I'm just not eating pizza and I rather go to bed with a full stomach than an empty one." Loki replied. 

“Fine.” Tony huffed at the god. “All right, Bruce go ahead and order what you want. Jarvis-“

“I’ve already ordered your pizza Sir.” The AI pulled up restaurant menus for Loki and Bruce so they could order their food.

Loki settled on the chicken Marsala with a salad for himself. 

Tony poured himself a drink and Bruce joined him after ordering his own meal. 

“Do you think we’ll get retirement benefits when we’re too old to do this anymore?” Tony asked as he sipped his drink. Bruce chuckled and shook his head. 

“I don’t think SHIELD does pensions.”

"They might take us behind a barn and shoot us instead." Bruce chuckled. "Or better yet they're working on an age reversing machine to keep us here forever."

Tony laughed a bit and nodded. “Sounds about right.” He finished off his first drink then poured another. Bruce shook his head as he sat there.

“At least we’re all in one piece, I guess.”

“Yeah, there’s that.” Tony sighed and hung his head back. 

"Better than going to battle." Loki threw in having listening to a bit of their conversation.

“I guess you’ve seen worse, huh?” Bruce looked at the god curiously. “Did you have to fight often in Asgard?”

“Probably. I mean, you’ve seen the old scars.” Tony added in then sipped his drink.


	50. Chapter 50

Loki nodded. "For a thousand years your time the nine were at war. It was far worse than what it should have been and at the time the only ones to stay out of the war were the Jotuns."  
Bruce and Tony listened quietly as Loki told them about the war. They couldn’t even begin to imagine something on that scale. The closest thing they had were the World Wars, but those paled in comparison to Loki’s experience.   
“That sounds like a pretty big war.”  
Loki nodded. "The Allfather sent Thor and I into war then leading warriors into battle and doing our best to bring as many of them as we could home."  
“That sounds like a pretty big responsibility.” Bruce commented as he looked at the god. “I guess you’re a pretty good strategist then?”  
“You’d have to be if you’re going to lead armies right.” Tony finished another drink. “How old were you when all this was happening?”  
"This was when I was fifteen." Loki replied. He knew it had been after he'd given birth to Sleipnir because by the time to war broke out Sleipnir was large enough for Odin to ride into battle.   
Bruce and Tony’s eyes widened as they heard this. They looked at Loki in disbelief.   
“Fifteen? What kind of parent lets their kid out into a war so young?”  
“I told you they’re crazy.” Tony looked at his friend and shook his head.   
“Sir, Captain Rogers is here to see you.”  
“Oh God.” Tony huffed and went to greet the man at the door. Steve looked like he was trying to hold his rage back.   
“Did I do something?”  
“Are those videos real?”   
Tony looked at the man slightly puzzled. “What videos?”  
“The ones of Loki while he was in custody Stark!” Steve paused a moment, pursing his lips. “Are they real?”  
"Yes they are." Loki replied. "But why believe me? I'm the god of lies." Loki smirked at him.   
"Captain Rogers these are photos from Mr. Laufeyson first few days in the house." Jarvis said before bringing up a screen to show him the bruises and cuts and how thin Loki had been when he first got there.   
Steve couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He stood there quietly then shook his head slowly.   
“Rogers?”  
“Fury okayed this?” He looked at Tony shocked and the playboy nodded.   
“Fury ordered it.”  
“Did you know about this?”  
“Not until recently. I’m guessing Fury didn’t tell anyone what he was actually going to do to Loki.”  
Steve looked at Loki then away, too ashamed to look at the god. “Why?”  
“He’s mad, like all of us were after the attack. But unlike the rest of his, he thought this was the appropriate response.” Tony shrugged a bit. “Need to sit?”  
Loki saw the time to inflict more guilt upon the other. "Squeamish captain?" He asked. "You seemed so intent on killing me during the invasion. Beating me to a pulp so when you're finally faced with what you had hoped for you can't handle it?"  
"Loki stop." Bruce urged.   
"Why?" He asked.   
"Because making him feel anymore guilty for it won’t fix anything." he said.  
"I know it won't." Loki got up and left for his room.  
Tony looked back at the god and sighed quietly then looked at Steve. “If it makes you feel any better he was mad at me too.”  
“I don’t even know what to say to him. I’m sorry doesn’t really cut it.”  
“I know it does and that’s not even what he wants to hear.”  
“Then what am I supposed to do Stark?”  
“Don’t pity the guy. Just treat him like you’d treat a friend.” Tony didn’t have much else to say to the man. He knew Steve’s ethical code, even if he didn’t agree with it and he knew this was eating the man up inside.   
“I have to do something.”  
“We already are.” Bruce said as he looked at the captain.  
"What are you doing?" He asked them.   
"Giving him freedom here in the tower. Loki is quite interesting to talk to. The first few weeks were hard to get him through." Bruce stated.  
“He just wants to be treated like a person Rogers. No special treatment or coddling, just respect. A little freedom isn’t too bad either.”  
Steve looked at Bruce and Tony then nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. “I was guarding the room when he was being tortured…” He said quietly then clenched his jaw angrily.   
“You didn’t know. It’s not your fault and even if you had known there was nothing you could do.” Tony looked at the man. “It’s not your fault.”   
"But he suffered." Steve said.   
Bruce put a hand on his shoulder. "Steve if you've heard half of what Loki has told us about his life you would stop making a fuss. He's been going to war since he was fifteen and training since he was a child." Bruce shared hoping it would make Steve slightly less guilty.   
Steve looked at the man and nodded. “So what do I do now? Pretend it didn’t happen?”  
“No, just trust him. Listen to him when he talks and acknowledge he’s there.”  
Steve nodded softly after a few minutes.   
Loki came back out of his room a few minutes later just as the food was delivered. He thanked the delivery boy for the food and took it over to the table.  
"Doctor I believe this one is yours." he said.   
"Thanks Loki." Bruce smiled.   
Tony grinned as he sat down to eat his pizza. He grabbed a beer and opened up the box. “Oh this smells like heaven.”  
Bruce rolled his eyes and sat down to eat his meal.   
Loki took the beer from Stark and dumped it into the skin. "Drink water or juice." He said. "You had beer with last night's dinner."   
Bruce’s eyes widened at what Loki had done and he looked at the god as if he’d lost his mind. Tony ran his tongue along his teeth as he looked at the god, clearly not amused.   
“And what are you going to do if I don’t drink water or juice?” He grabbed another beer and looked at Loki, daring the god to do something.   
Loki took the beer again with much more ease and dumped it down the sink. "Now find something without alcohol or I'll dump every drop in this building." Loki threatened.   
Tony frowned at the god then grabbed some juice out of the fridge. “Happy now?”  
Bruce couldn’t believe it. Tony never gave up a drink, even when Pepper begged him to. He stared in silent awe then shook his head a bit.   
The playboy sat down and took a large bite of his pizza, frowning at Loki still.   
Steve still there couldn't believe what he was seeing for himself either. There was no way that Tony would give in that easily.  
Bruce waited quietly for Tony to say or do something, but instead the playboy sipped his juice and ate his pizza. It wasn’t until he realized Steve and Bruce were staring at him that he said something.   
“Are you checking me out?”  
“You let him take your beer.”  
“What?”  
Loki said nothing and Steve watched on wondering what would happen.  
“Pepper can’t get you to stop drinking but Loki dumps your beer down the drain and you’re not mad?”  
Tony looked at the two and his cheeks tinged pink. “I am mad!”  
"Sir has learned that with Loki now back to full health he cannot fight him." Jarvis said.  
Both Bruce and Steve exchanged little grins then looked back at Tony. The playboy rolled his eyes.   
“Well why don’t you let him dangle you off a building and see how brave you are then!”  
Steve laughed and shook his head. “Not much without your suit, huh?”  
Tony gave Steve a tight smile then frowned and went back to his food.  
"Neither are you Captain." Loki chimed.  
Steve looked at Loki then away, still feeling guilty after seeing the videos.   
“Guess you’re right on that.”  
Tony sat a little taller, a smug look on his face. “Have some pizza Rogers, you look like a kicked puppy.”  
The soldier frowned at Tony but took a slice anyway.  
"No a kicked Puppy is what Thor looks like." Bruce threw in.  
"Do not bring my brother into this conversation, please." Loki said. He wanted to enjoy the night.   
Steve and Bruce looked at Loki curiously but nodded, keeping Thor out of it.   
“Well, thanks for the pizza.” Steve wiped off his lips and stood, nodding a bit at Tony. “See you guys later.” He looked at Bruce then at Loki before heading out.   
“Later Cap.” Tony waved at the man then grabbed another slice of pizza.  
Loki sighed as he finished eating his entire meal.   
"I'm going to bed for the night. Good night." Loki waved after throwing the empty containers in the trash.   
“Night Loki.” Bruce waved back at the god and Tony nodded at him. The playboy finished another slice of pizza then licked his lips.


	51. Chapter 51

“I’ve got some work to do.”  
“I take it you’ll be up all night?” Bruce looked at his friend and chuckled a bit as the man grabbed a beer.   
“Yep. You going anywhere?”  
Bruce shook his head. “Fury froze my passport; I can’t leave without tripping alarms until this portal business is over.”  
Bruce stretched. "Night Tony. Try to get some sleep." Bruce waved.  
“I will.” Tony opened his drink and headed down to his lab. He sipped his beer and looked over the information Fury had sent back to him. 

“We can’t keep plugging holes on our end.”  
“It appears these fluctuations are random Sir. Something like an electromagnetic storm capable of opening portals.”  
“Any way of knowing when it’ll stop?”  
“I’ve done all possible calculations and it seems that the portals are waning in energy slowly. It is likely more will open up yet, but they should begin to die off soon.”  
Loki had gone to sleep almost instantly once he reached his room.  
On his way home Steve wondered if Natasha and Clint had seen the footage yet.  
Tony nodded as he looked everything over. “So I guess we just wait this out?”  
“It would seem so Sir.”  
Steve was still upset after what he’d seen. Sure, he was as mad at Loki as anyone else. But that didn’t warrant nearly the amount of pain he was put through.   
Steve wasn't sure if he should listen to what Bruce and Tony had told him about just letting it all be. He had to apologize somehow.   
Tony nibbled on his lower lip then sipped his beer. “All right, let’s go ahead and keep an eye on those portals then. Any other ones active?”  
“Active yes but not opening Sir.” Jarvis pulled up a map for Tony to see where the portals were.  
Tony nodded quietly, something nagging at the back of his mind. How did Rogers find out about the videos? Did someone send them to him? Or did he hack into SHIELD and find them? The latter was a laugh; Steve still had trouble with cell phones.   
Loki was awake the next morning but didn’t get up yet. He didn’t want to get up yet.   
Tony ended up passing out on the couch after Jarvis had to lock him out of the lab. The playboy was sprawled out, sleeping peacefully.   
Loki chuckled and shook his head when he saw Stark on the couch. Loki decided to get breakfast for just himself instead that morning.   
Tony mumbled a bit as he slept. He shifted on the couch, curling up to his pillow. He grumbled when the alarm on his phone started going off, but he hadn’t set the alarm. It must have been Jarvis.   
“Ugh, what?”  
“Sir, Director Fury wishes to speak with you. He says it is urgent.”  
“Oh my God.” Tony got up, grumbling upset. “What does he want?”  
“He says it is about Mr. Laufeyson.”  
Tony felt fully awake after hearing that. He got up and went down to his lab as Fury’s face appeared on a monitor.   
“We need to talk.”  
“You’re breaking up with me?”  
Bruce woke up and saw the time. By now Tony would either still be in the lab or on his way back down. Thinking the first Bruce was going to go and urge his friend to go get some shut eye. The door was locked and that's when Bruce saw the monitor with Fury's face on it.  
“Can the bull shit Stark!” Fury snapped at the playboy. “I let you slide when you hacked my surveillance and saw the footage of Loki, I even let you slide when you showed it to Dr. Banner, but if you think I’m going to let you corrupt every member of my team, you’ve got another thing coming!”  
Tony’s face paled slightly. Steve must have confronted Fury about the footage.   
“I didn’t show anything to Rogers if that’s what this is about.”  
“Then how did he get that footage Stark? And more importantly, why are you buying this load of crap?”  
“I told you Loki is innocent! I even emailed you proof that he’s telling the truth!”  
"I don't have to believe shit he says. You might need a head check unless you've forgotten who he is. He is the god of lies Stark. He can make anyone believe what he wants them too."   
“I’m not an idiot! The only way that works is when he can use his magic! Each lie he tells is laced with magic and that’s what makes you believe it. I’ve had Jarvis monitoring him all this time and he hasn’t told a single lie once!”  
"Then maybe Jarvis isn't as great as you wish him to believe."  
“Why is it so hard to believe Loki’s telling the truth? Is it because you don’t want to admit you locked up and tortured an innocent man?” Tony scowled at the man, raising his voice as he spoke. He was getting tired of having to fight the Director on this. “Jarvis is programmed to detect lies humans tell and he’s programmed to detect lies that Loki tells.”  
"News flash Stark Loki isn't human!?" he shouted. "One more slip up and he's coming back to Shield and staying here."  
“You can’t do that, he hasn’t done anything wrong!”  
“I can and I will. Cross me and I’ll drag him back here Stark.”   
“I’ll tell Thor then. I’ll tell him the truth and we’ll see how well your torture Loki plan pans out!”  
“Go on then, tell him. Tell Thor and the only option he’ll have is to take Loki back to Asgard where he’ll be put to death.”  
Tony clenched his jaw as he looked at Fury.  
Jarvis having thought about the entire conversation would not happen as fury said it would. Odin had granted Loki the permission of his powers for missions so surely he saw that Loki was trying to make things right again and that if Loki did have to be taken back to Asgard he wouldn't be put to death.  
“Watch your mouth Stark or I bring him back here. You destroy the footage you have and keep your nose out of my business.” Fury ended the call and the lab was silent. Tony fell onto one of his chairs heavily and sighed out.   
“Sir, you know that is not true. Loki would most likely be pardoned were he to return to Asgard.”  
Tony nodded quietly, rubbing his temples. “Do you think I should just send him back? Tell Thor to take him back to Asgard?”  
"No." Jarvis replied. "While he would very well be pardoned sending him to Asgard with Thor and his father there would only send him back into a dark mindset once more." Jarvis explained.   
Tony growled upset and buried his face in his hands. “So what do I do? Tiptoe around Fury?”  
“It seems that may be your only option Sir. He knows he cannot rely on you to be brutal with Loki but still needs a reason to take Loki back to SHIELD. Do this for his sake Sir.”  
Tony sat there a moment then nodded. “Keep the videos on lockdown. We don’t show em to anyone else. And call Rogers.”  
"Shall do Sir." He said.   
Jarvis called up Captain Rogers and had to try it three times before he finally managed to pick up.  
“Rogers, do you remember when I told you to just let this go? How the hell did that sound like go talk to Fury?”  
“What did you want me to do Stark? Let him sit back and pretend what he did was right?”   
“Yes, because right now that’s all we can do you idiot!”   
"What do you mean that's all we can do. He deserves to have his ear chewed off for what he did to Loki." Steve said.   
“I know he does but he doesn’t see it that way. Steve, Fury just called me and he can drag Loki back to SHIELD custody if he wants to.”  
“What?”  
“I’m not asking you to pretend this didn’t happen but please, for the love of God, keep it to yourself. Until we can change Fury’s mind, Loki’s stuck here. And the only thing keeping him out of SHIELD is our silence.”  
Steve stuttered a bit. "Alright Tony." He said.  
“Thank you.” Tony snapped at Steve a bit, though he wasn’t even really sure why he was getting so worked up. “Just keep your head down and act natural.” He hung up on the man then turned to head upstairs.   
“Did you have to shout at Steve?” Bruce asked as Tony walked out of his lab. “You know he was just trying to do the right thing.”  
“Yeah well the right thing almost got Loki tossed back into a cell.”  
Bruce's eyes widened. "What did he do?" He asked.   
“That idiot went and talked to Fury. Like talking to that bully is gonna change anything.” Tony scoffed. “Then Fury called me pissed off and said that if we step out of line, he’ll take Loki back.”  
“But he can’t do that, Loki hasn’t done anything.”  
“Do you really think he cares Bruce?”  
Bruce sighed. He knew Tony was right. Fury wanted any excuse to bring Loki back so he could sit behind bars and rot.  
“We’re really gonna have to watch what we do now.”  
“By ‘we’ I suppose you mean you?” Bruce looked at his friend. “You’re the one that’s been more vocal about Loki’s probation. Maybe Fury’s finally trying to shut you up too.”  
“Yeah well he better not piss me off then.”  
Steve showed up at the tower a little while later.


	52. Chapter 52

"You can't be serious about letting Fury just take him back." Steve said.  
"Because if Loki goes back to Shield he'll go downhill again and there's a chance that we might not get him back out of it if he does." Bruce explained.  
“Loki isn’t going back to SHIELD or Asgard. He’s staying here at the tower.” Tony said as he looked at the two men. “Fury’s got a bone to pick with me and he’s using that as an excuse to attack Loki again.”  
“So all you have to do is keep your mouth shut around the guy and Loki will be fine.” Bruce chimed in and earned a frown from Tony.  
“Thanks.”  
"Could we not simply show him that having me about might benefit him?" Loki asked.   
Tony shook his head. “I think it’s still too soon for that. If we mention it he’ll think we’re conspiring against him and throw you back in a cell.”  
“Tony’s got a point.” Bruce sighed. “You’ve been with Tony what, almost three months now? I think we should give it more time.”  
“Maybe Fury would listen if we talked to him.”  
“Seriously Rogers? Because the last time you opened your big mouth he listened, huh?”  
Steve got quiet. "I said I was sorry. I didn't think he would fly off the handle."  
“Nah, it’s fine Rogers. We just need to be more careful is all.” Tony sighed heavily and shook his head.   
“Hey, we still have time though. I mean, Loki’s on probation, right?” Bruce interjected as he looked at the others. “As long as he isn’t in SHIELD custody, he still has a chance to change, remember?”  
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. But what can he do if he’s locked up here all the time?”  
Tony bit his lower lip a bit, wondering if they should tell Steve about their little plan.   
"If we tell you this you had better keep your mouth shut. Not a word to Fury, Natasha, Clint or anyone else. Otherwise we'll put you on lockdown." Bruce said.   
Steve looked at the men and nodded slowly. “What is it?”  
“Loki’s been helping on the last two missions.”  
“What?” Steve looked at Tony shocked. “How?”  
“I talked to Thor and his dad agreed to let Loki have his powers back to help on missions. We thought it would be a good way to help Loki out.”  
"So what did he help with exactly? And if Loki's got his powers back why is he still here?"   
"No, I get my powers back for the duration of the mission.” Loki replied.   
Tony nodded. “He only has access to his power during the mission, not before or after. And he’s the one that’s been closing off those portals.”  
“You mean…it wasn’t your machine?”  
Tony shook his head. “Those portals aren’t something I can just close up. The most I could do is destabilize them but that could make them open wider or collapse them into black holes.”  
Steve looked at them.  
"So the reason those monsters were pulled back into the portal was because Loki sent them back in?" He asked.  
"Yes. Thor knows and Fury thinks Thor has found someone in Asgard to close them."   
“I knew there was no way of talking Fury into this, so I talked to Thor instead.” Tony looked at Steve. “It was the only way to get Loki out of here.”  
Steve nodded a bit then looked at the god. “I guess I should thank you for that.”   
Loki nodded. "Don't tell Fury and we'll call it even." he said.   
“All right. So I guess you’ll be helping with the rest of the missions huh?”   
“I thought it’d be best if he helps on a couple missions before we show Fury that he’s changed.” Tony shrugged a bit.   
“But I didn’t see him anywhere.”  
“I made a cloaking device for him. He can’t be tracked, even when he’s using his magic.”  
“Guess that explains it.”  
Loki rolled his eyes behind Steve.  
"Loki stop it." Bruce said having seen the eye roll.  
“Look kiddies, we all need to be nice here all right? We don’t need to like each other but we have to trust each other.” Tony looked at Steve and Loki. The Captain nodded quietly, his arms crossed.   
“Fine.”  
“Good. Now, I’m gonna go into my lab and work on my cars.” Tony gave them both a smile.  
Loki yawned and Steve didn't know what to do first. He knew that Loki still needed an apology and his upbringing wouldn't allow him not to give one.  
Tony nudged the man a bit and shook his head. He knew Steve wanted to beg the god’s forgiveness, but he’d already tried that with Loki. He was pleasant now, but bringing up the torture really brought out the worst in Loki. His eyes would go icy and his words would become swords. Not surprising of course, but he knew how much worse it would make Steve feel.  
"Steve stop it. Trying to apologize you'll only feel worse." Bruce said.  
"Just because Loki is nicer and more rational doesn't mean he won't turn mean. The shift in him is scary, it's like he had split personalities."  
“Yeah, trust me, you don’t want him to get mad.” Tony shuddered a bit. “Just let things go and let him get comfortable.”  
The captain looked at Tony and nodded, though it was clear he didn’t want to leave things like this.   
“Fine, fine.”  
"Steve I mean it, be serious about this and think about what we're telling you. Otherwise enter at your own risk." Bruce said.   
“I will. I’ll leave him alone about it.”   
“Good.” Tony grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. “Besides, we’re already getting him out of here slowly.”  
Steve nodded. “I guess you’re right.”  
"Just keep it to yourself and come around every once in a while, you'll start to catch on that Loki is actually pretty cool in his own right."   
Steve looked at Bruce and shrugged a bit. “All right. I guess I’ll leave you guys then. Keep an eye on him for me.”  
“Later Rogers.” Tony watched the captain go then guzzled down half his water bottle.   
"Remember not a single word to anyone."  
“I know, I promise.” Steve looked at the two then left.   
Tony set his water aside and sighed.   
“Well at least we convinced someone else.”  
“Yeah, now we just have to convince the rest of the world.” Bruce scoffed and shook his head. “Fury’s never going to listen.”  
Loki was in his room playing a game of chess with Jarvis and actually winning so far.   
“I know he won’t, but he doesn’t have to. Thor’s dad agreed to the terms of his probation. Even if Fury doesn’t like it, once Loki’s probation is up, he’ll be able to leave.”  
“It’ll be hell to keep him out of SHIELD until then though.”  
“Yeah, but I think we can handle it.”  
"Well he'll have us, Steve and Thor to go save him if that happens." Bruce said. "I doubt Loki would go quietly."   
Tony chuckled a bit at the thought. “Yeah. Now that I would pay to see.”  
“What? Loki fighting off Fury?” Bruce smiled a bit and shook his head. “You’re awful.”  
“Hey, it would be funny. Plus I think Fury has it coming.”  
"You think he has it coming? You know he has it coming. There's no way Loki would let Fury get away with what he's done."   
“I wouldn’t either. Course I can’t really beat the guy up; it’d look bad.” Tony shrugged and finished his water.   
"Who Fury or Loki?"   
Tony smiled a bit. “Both. I can’t go after Fury cause I’m part of the Avengers and I can’t even touch Loki. You should see the guy fight.”  
"Do you have any footage?" Bruce asked, curious.  
“I might. Jarvis?”  
“I’m pulling it up now Sir.” Jarvis pulled up some video of Loki fighting against Tony’s suits.   
Bruce's jaw nearly dropped as he watched Loki fight the suit.   
"If it weren’t for the fact that I knew he was a god I would ask if he was even human."   
“Yeah I know. Now imagine what he could do to a person.” Tony shook his head a bit.  
"I don't want to think of what he can do to Fury."  
“Yeah, now you know why I think it would be funny to watch.” Tony chuckled.   
"He really learned all this from war training?"  
“That’s what he told me. He trained with his mom all the time; she’s the one that taught him to use his size in a fight.” Tony watched the videos. “Kinda crazy huh? If he’d really been trying, he could have taken over the world.”  
"And that’s a crazy thought." Bruce said.  
Tony nodded. “Yeah. He’s crafty as hell.”  
Bruce chuckled a bit and shook his head. “I guess you need it when you grow up like that though.”  
“True.” Tony stretched a bit. “Can I talk to you about something?”  
Bruce grew very serious. "About what?"  
Tony was quiet a moment, thinking about the best way to phrase what he wanted to say. “I think I want to start dating.”  
"Who did you see that makes you want to start dating?"  
“Loki.” Tony stared ahead at the wall. “I think I have a crush on him but I know we can’t date because it’s just a puppy crush and it wouldn’t last. So I figured, if I date someone else I’ll get over it.”  
"What?!" Bruce explained. "What do you mean you have a crush on Loki?"  
“Oh come on, you know me. It’s like when I had a crush on Romanov, it’s nothing.” Tony shrugged. “But I think it would be pretty stupid to chase Loki so I think I should start dating.”  
"But it's Loki. Does he even date?" Bruce asked.  
Tony chuckled a bit and shook his head. “Probably not. And even if he does, he’s not gonna date me.”


	53. Chapter 53

Bruce nodded. When he thought about it he could see how Tony found the man to be attractive. He was think and handsome, lean, smart.   
Tony looked at his friend then away again. “It’s kinda stupid huh? Always going after the difficult ones.” He chuckled. “Remember how it was when Pep started working for me?”  
"I wasn't around when Pepper started working for you." Bruce reminded him.   
“Oh my God, that’s right!” Tony’s smile grew. He was clearly excited to tell this story. “She hated me in the beginning. She knew I had a reputation for sleeping with my secretaries, so she tried to be as pushy and mean as possible. And you know me; that just made me want her more.”  
"You like abuse don't you?" Bruce asked.   
“Maybe a little.” Tony grinned playfully then shook his head. “I like a challenge. Pepper was a challenge. I couldn’t get her to talk to me if it wasn’t business.” He smiled a bit. “Guess the longer she stuck around, the better she got to know me.”  
"She must have found there to be something extremely amusing about you." He said.   
“I’m a very funny person Bruce.”  
“No, you’re really annoying.” Bruce smiled a bit.   
Tony grinned and shrugged. “Maybe.” He ran his tongue over his teeth. “I just don’t want this to get…worse, you know? Loki’s gonna leave and then what do I do?”  
"And what if he didn't leave?" Bruce asked. "But do it your way and go find a hot date or something."   
Tony looked at Bruce then away. “He doesn’t like me Bruce, not the way I want him to. He can stand me and that’s it. What am I going to do? Tell him? Oh hey Loki, I have a crush on you, stay with me. Oh but it’ll only last a few months and then I’ll get bored.”  
Bruce was surprised by this. "You really do care for him. The last relationship I was around for she threw a lamp at you and you didn’t care. But you're actually afraid of hurting him."   
Tony was quiet a moment then shook his head. “I don’t actually care Bruce, I told you: it’s a puppy crush.”  
“No, a puppy crush was when you were chasing Natasha until she made your nose bleed.”  
“Bruce, I wanted to talk to you so I could get this off my chest, not feel like an idiot.” He looked at the man then away. “I can’t do this. He’s a god and he’s leaving. Once he’s off probation he’s going back to Asgard.”  
Bruce raised his hands as a sign that he was leaving the subject. "Do and think what you will." he said.   
“You’re such a big help.” Tony shook his head and stood. “I’ve got some things to work on. I’ll see you later.” Tony grabbed a beer and headed to his lab.   
"What do you want me to say? I don't date!" Bruce called after him.   
“Yeah, I noticed!” Tony shouted back and set his drink down.   
“Sir, may I say something?”  
“Jarvis, you don’t date either so I really doubt your advice will help.”  
"Had I feelings Sir I would be upset with you right now." The AI said.   
Tony rolled his eyes and sat down. “Why am I not surprised?” He took a swig of his beer. “What do you want me to do Jarvis? Ask Loki out on a date so he can say no and I can look like an idiot?”  
"I won’t talk to you while you're in this state of self-pity Sir." Jarvis shut himself off.   
“Jerk. I’m going to ignore you too when you need my help!” Tony scoffed and went back to work on his machines. He made some fixes to his suit but he couldn’t focus. This was just a little crush that was it. He wasn’t going to chase Loki, he couldn’t. This wasn’t like his feelings for Pepper. When she left, they could still talk and they were still friends. If things snapped with Loki, they would never see each other again.   
Bruce left Tony for a few hours and did a bit of thinking of his own and finally went down stairs to talk to him.   
“Let’s say I ask Loki out on a date and he says yes. Then what do I do?” Tony was talking to Dum-E. He knew it was silly, but it wasn’t the first time he’d spoken to the machine. “We go out for a couple weeks and then this happens: either he falls in love with me and I get bored or…” He paused and sighed heavily. “Or I fall in love with him and…he leaves.”  
"Or you could give it six months. Since you think it is a passing crush give it is over in six months then you have made it through without injury and if you still have feelings for him ask him out."   
Tony blinked and looked back at Bruce. “Were you listening to everything I said?” He looked at the man puzzled then stood, stumbling slightly. There were a few beer bottles on the floor.   
"Not everything but most of it." he said.   
“Yeah well quit sneakin’ around like that.” Tony looked at the man. “Fine, I’ll just wait it out.” He sighed a bit, crossing his arms.   
Bruce clapped the man on the shoulder. "You've been down here for about four hours and Loki is upstairs cooking for us."   
“Oh. What’s he making?” Tony ran his hands over his face and went upstairs with Bruce. A light buzz always helped keep his mind clear.   
"He didn't tell me. I know he threw shrimp, fish, chicken, and chopped sausage into the pot though."   
Tony frowned at Bruce puzzled. “What the hell is he going to make with that?” He walked over to the kitchen and took a deep breath; it smelled good. “What are you making?” He looked at Loki.   
"Something they call gumbo in the south of your country." He said.   
“Oh. Don’t know if I’ve ever tried it.” Tony went over and looked into the pot curiously. “Why gumbo?”  
"He watched the Princess and the frog today Sir and the thought of trying to meal has stuck with him.”   
Tony tried to suppress a smile as he looked at the god. “You were watching kid’s shows?”  
Bruce rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Not everyone wants to watch porn all the time Tony.”  
“I don’t watch porn!”  
Loki looked at them confused. "What's porn?" He asked.   
Tony looked at the god and grinned like a child given permission to do something terrible.   
“Well…”  
“Oh no you don’t.” Bruce cut in, frowning at his friend. “It’s short for pornography. It’s videos or pictures of people having sex. It’s supposed to stimulate whoever’s watching.”  
“Oh come on Bruce! You’re so boring.”  
Loki frowned at him. "Why would you want to show someone else what is meant to be done in private?" he asked.   
“It’s like foreplay.” Tony shrugged a bit. “A lot of people get turned on when they watch or hear someone else having sex.”  
Bruce shook his head a bit. “It’s all a matter of personal preference.”   
Loki shook his head. "You Midgardians are terrible." He said, shaking his head as he added rice to the pot.   
Tony just rolled his eyes, an amused little grin on his face.   
Bruce frowned at his friend not liking the look on his face. "How long before dinner is ready?" Bruce asked.  
"Another half hour." He replied.   
“All right. Well I’ll be in my lab. Jarvis, call me when the food’s ready.”  
“Certainly Sir.”  
Tony turned to go back downstairs and grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge.  
Loki continued on with his cooking. He was happy to do something useful.  
Bruce watched Tony go then looked at Loki. “Do you mind if I talk to you about something?”  
Tony hummed to himself as he went back into his lab and pulled up the project he’d been working on. “All right, show me the aquatic suit.”  
“All the wiring has been placed and you have most of the metal plates set up already. I would suggest beginning with the torso, as this will require additional fixtures.” Jarvis showed him the blue prints.  
Loki looked back at him. "About what?" he asked.   
Bruce pursed his lips together then spoke. “Tony has a little…crush on you. I just wanted to let you know that if he starts hitting on you or ignoring you, that’s why.”  
Loki was confused by the term of crush but he nodded. "Very well, doctor. Thank you." he said.   
Bruce noticed the confused look on Loki’s face and chuckled nervously. “Sorry umm, a crush is when you like someone. He does this a lot. He develops feelings for people that don’t like him. It was the same with Pepper, he even flirted with Rogers for a bit. So just, just so you know.”  
Tony bobbed his head as he worked on his machine. He’d welded the legs together and grinned when he saw them working.   
Loki nodded. "Thank you Doctor." He said. "Dinner will be ready soon."   
Bruce nodded then reached into the fridge and poured himself some juice.   
Tony finished working on the legs of the suit and decided to try them on.   
“Well they fit right. Let’s test the blasters.” He put on the gloves from another suit to stabilize and moved to a clear area. “Put em at forty percent.”  
“Yes Sir.” The AI adjusted the blasters and Tony grinned as he lifted off the ground slightly.   
When the meal was finally ready Loki smiled at his handy work.   
"Alright Jarvis you can call them up for dinner."   
“Sir, it is time for dinner.”  
Tony glanced up and sighed, setting his things aside. “All right, I’m heading up.” He wiped off his hands and went upstairs.   
Loki had dished out his dinner and sat down. He would leave the doctor and Tony to figure out how much they wanted to eat.  
Tony didn’t serve himself too much in case he didn’t like it. He grabbed his bowl and sat down, humming in his throat surprised when he tasted the gumbo.   
“This is actually pretty good. Really good.”  
Bruce chuckled a bit and served himself then sat down.   
"Stark after dinner I wish to speak with you in private." Loki said.   
Tony looked up at the god and blinked curiously. “Bout what?” He asked with his mouth half-full of food.   
“Tony, that’s gross.” Bruce made a face.


	54. Chapter 54

Loki made a face and pushed his plate away. "That’s disgusting." He replied. Getting up Loki abandoned his plate and left.   
Tony tried not to laugh as Loki walked off. He finished his dinner and wipes his mouth.   
“Don’t do that Tony.”   
“What?” He gave his friend a smug grin and set his plate in the sink.   
Bruce shook his head and stood. “You know what I’m talking about.” He set his plate in the sink then headed to his room.   
Tony stood there a moment then went over to Loki’s room and knocked on the door. “You wanted to talk?”  
"Come in." Loki replied. He was sitting on his bed playing a game of chess with Jarvis. "We'll continue when I'm done." He said.   
"Of course Sir."   
Tony walked into the room and smiled a bit at Loki. “Sorry about earlier. I forget my table manners sometimes.” He sat down. “So, what’s up? You want to paint your room?”  
"No I do not wish to paint my room." Loki replied. "Stark whatever feelings you have for me are foolish ones." He said. "I am no good for anyone, you'd only end up hurting yourself and I would be the crook that allowed it to happen if I don't put an end to it now."   
Tony’s smile fell immediately. He looked at Loki then away. “It’s a crush Loki. A fleeting crush because you’re someone I can’t have. I chased Pepper the same way, I chased Natasha and even Rogers. I even tried to get Bruce to date me for a while. And after a few months, it stopped because I have commitment issues.” He shrugged and stood. “This’ll be over in a few months. So you can’t relax.”  
Loki hummed. "I am telling you this for your benefit rather than mine." Loki said. Loki liked Stark. At least in a friendly way he liked him.   
“You can save it.” Tony looked at the god. “I already know the feeling isn’t going to last and it isn’t mutual. So let’s just forget it.”   
Loki nodded. "I hope this will not change our friendship." he said.   
Tony shrugged. “I don’t think it will.” He offered Loki a little smile. “Thanks for dinner by the way. It was good.”  
Loki nodded. "Next time keep it in your mouth."   
Tony snorted a bit and nodded. “All right, all right.” He walked out of the room, feeling an odd weight on his chest. He went to his lab and turned on his music.   
Loki turned back to Jarvis and asked for him to bring the game up once more.   
“Not the best liar, are you Sir?”  
“Don’t start Jarvis. I’m not in the mood to talk about it.” Tony worked on his suit, putting the gloves together and testing them.   
"It's for the best." Jarvis added before going silent.   
Tony sighed quietly and turned his music up loud as he worked.   
It wasn’t until very late that night that he finally went to bed. And it was minutes after that Fury called.   
“Stark, we’ve got a situation.”  
Tony groaned but got up, rubbing his face.   
“Another portal?”  
“We didn’t expect this one. There wasn’t any activity before it opened.”  
“Where is it?”  
“Downtown.”  
Tony’s eyes widened slightly. So close? There hadn’t been any activity near New York. He quickly put on his suit and went over to Loki.   
“Wake up Reindeer Games, we got another open portal.”  
Loki snapped himself awake and nodded. Getting up he quickly tried to get dressed and get whatever feed he could from Jarvis.   
Bruce was already up and this time he didn't even bother putting on a shirt.   
Tony had his suit on and stayed behind a moment.   
“Jarvis, keep Loki briefed.” He looked at the god. “Jarvis will be the one communicating with you directly, all right?”  
Bruce looked at Loki then at Tony. “Where are we going?”  
“Downtown.” Tony flipped on his visor and took off with Bruce.   
Jarvis reminded Loki to use his cloaking device so he wouldn't be seen. The god could feel his magic returning to him as he waited.   
"Sir now would be a wise time to go." Jarvis instructed.  
"Not yet." He said.  
He wasn’t sure what was coming through, but it clearly don’t want to go back through the portal. The creature shrieked and attacked everything, having already killed a few civilians. It appeared so suddenly, there was no time to evacuate the area.   
Tony blasted at the creature though he wasn’t doing much damage.   
“God damn it. Jarvis!”  
“It will take too much energy to pierce the skin Sir. Your suit will power down before you scratch its skin.”  
“Great, thanks.” Tony dodged as the thing swung a massive arm towards him.   
The Hulk growled and lunged, clutching onto the monster and punching it hard.   
From overhead Loki frowned at what he was looking at. The beast he'd fought once before with Thor, Sif, and the warrior's three. It had been no picnic for them and he'd hated every minute of the recovery time after wards.   
“Shit, shit!” Tony barely dodged another blow from the beast. He fired a few more rockets into its face, hoping to blind the thing at least. It swung its head and howled angrily.   
“Anybody got any ideas?” Steve asked from the sidelines.   
“We’re not exactly experts with this stuff Cap!” Natasha replied from the other side of the battle field.   
Thinking Loki tried to remember how they brought it down last time.   
"Fire." He said. "Stark I need you and the others to wear it down as much as you can. If you can do that I can destroy it." He said.   
“All right, we can do that. Be careful.” Tony charged his blaster and fired at the thing again, zooming straight for it. The beast swung up but missed Tony with each move.   
“Guys, we need to get it tired!” He spoke to the others. “It’s too fired up to be pushed back!”  
Steve nodded and threw his shield at the thing. He hit it in the eye and beast howled angrily. The Hulk howled in response and jumped on the thing, clinging to its fur and beating it.   
Loki dug into his boots. He found what he was looking for and smiled. Fire spells were a little more complicated for him since he was a Jotun and now he it made sense for him. With the burning stone in his hand he started to fly around in a constant circle around the creature and start the spell for a ring of fire.   
The beast growled out and finally threw the Hulk off its body. The Hulk went flying and landed on a few cars.   
Tony glanced back, yelping as he was hit. That was just his luck; the second he turned away was when the monster decided to hit him. The blow sent him flying into the water and he groaned.   
“Stats.”  
“All is well Sir, though water did get between the plates of your suit. I would suggest dismantling it before you walk into the tower.”   
Tony flew up out of the water and blasted at the thing again.   
"Get everyone to back away from it." Loki ordered. "Everyone needs to get back."  
Tony nodded and flew towards the others. “Guys, back up!”  
“Why?” Steve asked though he moved back as told. The others moved back as well, though they were unsure why.   
“I thought we had to get this thing tired?”  
A red ring broke out around the creature and slowly flames started to grow from it tall and strong which only seemed to make the beast crazier. But it could not escape.  
The beast howled, angry and afraid. It threw itself about, trying to escape the fire.   
Tony’s eyes widened as he watched and he flipped his visor back. The others all watched in complete shock.   
“Stark, did you do that?” Steve looked at Tony surprised.   
Tony looked at the captain then away and nodded just slightly. Steve nodded back in understanding, trying to see if he could find where Loki was.   
Finally the flames started to burn the creature's fur and the smoke slowly started to choke it.   
Everyone started coughing and gagging at the smell of burning fur and flesh. They quickly covered their mouths and noses and Tony replaced his visor. He opened the communication channel to Loki.   
“You okay?”  
Loki couldn't answer Stark on the account that he was still keeping up with the spell to make sure the beast burned to a cinder.   
Tony tensed a bit when he didn’t get an answer. He looked up then ran a quiet scan to look for Loki’s energy. That wasn’t exactly possible however, since the god was still wearing the cloaking device. Tony scoffed. Sometimes he was a little too good at what he did.   
“He is all right Sir. But spells this powerful require focus.”  
“How do you know that?”  
“Mr. Laufeyson told me.”  
Before too long the beast fell dead and the flames were angry enough to continue on without Loki's help.   
The Avengers all watched the blaze. They couldn’t explain what it was, but the fire seemed almost alive. It danced and burned so brightly, turning the massive beast to cinder.   
Tony watched then gave a half smile. “Loki?”  
"I'm alright. I'll see you back at the tower." Loki told him.   
Tony nodded. “All right.” He flipped up his visor again and looked at the others.


	55. Chapter 55

Steve walked over to Tony. “I thought your readings said there wouldn’t be any other portals?”  
“I didn’t say there wouldn’t be any, I said there weren’t any at the time that could become stable enough to open. This one opened up randomly.”  
Steve nodded. “What if more of em open up like this?”  
Tony looked at the man then glanced at the others and dropped his voice. “I’ll talk to Loki and Thor, find out what happened here.”  
Natasha and Clint were still confused as to how the beast suddenly caught fire and burned.   
At the tower Loki collapsed to his knees for a moment.  
"Shall I call Mr. Stark?" He asked.   
"No." Loki gasped out. He dragging himself up Loki started to strip himself of his armor to head to his bathroom. "Run a cold bath as cold as possible." He ordered.  
Jarvis started the shower and regulated the water to its coldest. He called Tony anyway, telling him about Loki’s condition.   
“Sir, Mr. Laufeyson seems to have become ill from the battle.”   
“What’s wrong? Is he hurt?”  
“I cannot say for sure what is the matter Sir.”  
Tony nodded and took off.  
Loki could feel the heat in his own body and to avoid changing he had to get under the cold water. He stopped it at his finger tips and they slowly started to return to his pale complexion.   
Tony arrived back at the tower and stopped and landing. Jarvis removed his suit and Tony frowned as the water that had been trapped in the plates soaked his clothes. He walked inside and went to Loki’s room, knocking on the door.   
“Hey, you okay?”  
"Is in the bathtub Sir. You'll have to enter his room." He said.   
Tony nodded and walked into the room but stopped outside the bathroom. “Loki, you okay?” He tried to keep the worry out of his voice as he spoke.   
Loki had submerged himself under water and was staring at the ceiling.   
"Sir I think it's safe for you to enter." Jarvis replied.   
Loki was wearing his underwear in the tub.  
Tony knocked on the bathroom door then poked his head. “Loki?”  
Loki finally sat up when he heard the click of the door vibrate through the water.   
"Stark."   
“Sorry for just walking in. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He gave Loki a little smile. “So, are you okay?”  
"I'll be fine." Loki replied getting up from the tub.   
Tony nodded. “All right. Call me if you need anything.” Tony turned and into the kitchen when his phone went off.   
“Hello?”  
“Stark, we need to talk.”  
“What’s up Director?” Tony grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge.   
Loki nodded as he got out. Getting a towel Loki started to dry himself off and went to change.   
"Jarvis please adjust the heat in my room to a higher temperature, I'm going to have a nap." Loki explained.   
The AI adjusted the temperature in Loki’s room accordingly. “Sleep well Mr. Laufeyson.”  
“I actually need to talk you about your latest mission. Seems awfully convenient that monster you were fighting spontaneously combusted.”  
“Hey, I’m not the one that makes those things so defective.” Tony shrugged.   
“What’s really going on here Stark?”  
“What do you mean?”  
"You know damn well what I mean." Fury replied.   
"Director Since we've brought this up with Mr. Odinson perhaps he found someone that can take control of magic or powers where they can use them." Jarvis said.   
“See, there you go.”  
“Cut the bull shit Stark.”   
“Look, I’m sure you love a good conspiracy theory, but if you’re implying that Loki is involved somehow, you’re wrong. You have surveillance everywhere, how would he even leave his room?” Tony hadn’t expected that Fury would get so curious. He honestly hadn’t really thought about how suspicious the fire looked until he arrived back at the tower.   
“More importantly, how would he get his powers? They’re cut off, remember? He can’t use magic at all.”   
Fury scowled. “It had better stay that way Stark.”  
"Sir Mr. Stark has no control over Mr. Laufeyson's powers. If you wish to take the return of his powers up with anyone it should be Mr. Odinson." Jarvis said.   
Fury clenched his jaw. “Talk to Thor about what happened then.”  
“Will do.” Tony felt his heart relax after Fury hung up. He ran a hand over his face. “We need to be more careful with this.”  
“Certainly, though you still have one advantage Sir: Director Fury still believes Loki has no powers. So long as he believes this, his suspicions are unfounded.”  
Tony nodded.   
"Shall I ready the lab for you, sir?" Jarvis asked.  
“Yeah, go ahead. Remind me to talk to Thor tomorrow.”  
“Of course Sir.”   
Tony headed down into his lab.   
Loki woke up around eight or so. He wasn't sure, all he knew was that it was dark outside.  
Tony stayed awake most of the night, working on his suit and checking on the stats of the other portals.   
“Got anything on that portal that opened randomly?”  
“I’m afraid not Sir. I would have had to analyze it the moment it opened, and sadly I did not have such readings. I did gather something when it closed, though I’m not sure how useful it will be.”  
“Shoot.”  
Jarvis pulled up some diagrams of energy coming in and out of the portal as it collapsed.   
“It seems that as it shut, it actually collapsed on itself.”  
“And it didn’t make a black hole?”  
“I can only assume Mr. Laufeyson’s magic allowed it to remain stable enough not to.”  
"Sir, I've also had an idea on how to bring Mr. Laufeyson to the team officially." Jarvis started. "If you tell him that you've spoken to Thor with the excuse that whomever he found to close the portals on his end can no longer handle it. If the portals continue to appear in the manner they do and as unstable as they are they could threaten black holes. I'm sure of it sir he'll have to give in."   
Tony sat and thought this over for a moment. It just might work. He knew Fury wasn’t stubborn enough to let people die just to keep Loki locked up.   
“All right. I’ll swing it by him and see how it works. I’ll have to talk to Thor first then see if you can get me a meeting with Fury.”  
“Of course Sir.”  
Tony stood and headed up out of his lab.   
Loki was in the kitchen heating up a much needed meal.   
Tony looked at the god then went over with a grin. “So, Jarvis came up with an idea for getting you out of the tower and into the Avengers.”   
Loki looked up with an arched brow. "And I'm sure Fury will be so thrilled I'll be back in my cell."   
“Just listen: we tell Fury that the “other person” closing the portals doesn’t have the strength to do it anymore. So then we mention that you have the power to open and close portals. I know it’s a long shot, but maybe he’ll take the bait.”   
Loki smiled. "Do it."   
Tony chuckled a bit. “All right. I’m gonna talk to Thor about it then I have a meeting with Fury.”  
“Director Fury is available all morning Sir.”  
“Perfect!” Tony headed up to the roof of the tower. “Heimdall!”  
Thor appeared but moments before him. "Is my brother all right?" Thor asked.   
“Yeah, he’s okay. He got kind of tired during our last mission but he’s fine. Look, I need another favor from you. In case Fury talks to you, I need you to tell him there’s nobody else on your end that can close these portals.”  
Thor looked at Tony puzzled. “Why? What has happened?”  
“Well, Jarvis got this idea for how to get Loki into the Avengers for his probation. If we tell Fury that there’s nobody in Asgard strong enough to close these portals, he’ll be out of options. We don’t have machines that can close these things safely. So then, I casually mention that Loki can open and close portals easily and bam!”  
Thor nodded. "Very well." the blonde agreed. "I wish to see my brother. I do not care if he doesn't want to see me or not and I will not take no for an answer." Thor stated.  
“Look, I don’t think that’s a very good-“ Tony huffed as the blond stomped off past him. There was no way he’d be able to hold the god back; Thor was easily twice his size.


	56. Chapter 56

“Wait up Point Break!” He followed after Thor.   
Loki was in the kitchen cleaning up his small mess when he heard the familiar footsteps of his brother.   
“Thor!” Tony tried getting a grip on the god, but was easily tossed aside by Thor’s movement. He scoffed and walked behind the prince.   
“Loki?” Thor called for this brother.   
"Thor." the god honed his features to be as cold and uncaring as they had been for so long. "See you won't take no for an answer."   
Thor tensed and clenched his jaw as he saw his brother. “You are looking well. Anthony has told me you are adjusting well here.”  
Tony watched the two and stayed quiet. Maybe it was about time they talked again.  
"Yes surprised that I can survive with you?" Loki asked. "I take great pleasure in doing as I please without being stuck in your shadow."   
Thor looked at Loki and furrowed his brows slightly. “You still think so poorly of me. I have done nothing but try to help you and yet you treat me with such scorn!”  
Tony wanted to interject but getting in the middle of a fight between two gods didn’t sound like his smartest move.   
"Get out!" Loki shouted.  
Thor looked at his brother sadly and sighed. “I had hoped you would have allowed yourself to forgive me for whatever grief I have caused you. Evidently, you wish yet to stew in that misery.” He turned, glancing at Tony. “Thank you, Anthony Stark.” The prince went back up to the roof.   
Tony watched him go then ran his fingers through his hair. He looked at Loki and walked towards him.   
“Need to punch something?”  
Loki's lips pressed into a thin line as he nodded at the other once.   
“Jarvis, go ahead and send a couple suits into the gym.” Tony looked at Loki. “I’d offer myself up but you look slightly pissed. So go ahead and blow off steam with those.” He offered Loki a small smile.   
"Thank you." Loki replied. Heading for the gym he looked at the suits and laid into the first attack.   
Tony watched Loki go then went down to his lab and set up a video chat with Fury.   
“Your AI informed me this was urgent.”  
“It is. I just talked to Thor and it looks like we have a problem.”  
"Oh God, what now?" Fury asked.   
“He told me that the person they had on their end closing the portals can’t anymore. They’ve run low on magic or something. I don’t remember the way Thor put it.”  
“Can’t he just find someone else?”  
“It’s not that easy. Opening and closing portals like this isn’t something that just anyone can snap their fingers and do.”  
Fury groaned. "So what ideas do you have? I hope you have a machine you can build for this."   
“I thought about that but there’s nothing I can use to actually close portals. The only thing I could do is destabilize them and that could cause the portals to collapse into black holes.”  
“Then what the fuck do we do Stark?”  
“We could ask Loki to do it. He’s the only other person Thor knows that can open and close portals safely.”  
"Are you out of your mind?" He questioned. "Giving him back his magic he could easily turn on us."   
“Not if we play our cards right. There are still other beings out there that want his head on a stick, so that limits where he can go. Not to mention the only one that can give back his powers is Thor’s father, right? If we restrict Loki’s use of magic so it’s on accessible to him during missions, he won’t be able to turn on anyone.”  
"Do you think that's even possible?" Fury asked.   
“Odin would have complete control over how much magic Loki can use and when he can use it. If he so much as blinks funny his powers are gone and you can haul him back to SHIELD if you want.”  
Fury was happy about the thought of hauling Loki back to Shield. "Alright talk to Thor about it. We'll take him on the next run."   
Tony looked at Fury slightly surprised but wasn’t about to argue. He nodded. “All right. I’ll get the terms and conditions nailed out with him then.” He smiled then cut the call and ran upstairs.   
“Jarvis, where’s Loki?”  
"On the roof still, Sir." Jarvis replies.   
Tony ran up, grinning as he saw Loki. “It worked, he agreed to it.”  
Loki destroyed the second suit before turning to Stark. "What did you say?"  
“Fury agreed to let you help on missions officially.” Tony was so happy about the news that he suddenly hugged the god. “He didn’t even threaten my life first!”  
Loki froze as Tony hugged him. "I am glad you managed to convince him to let me onto the team. Thank you."  
“There’s a couple things we’ll have to sort out but we can get that taken care of later.” Tony smiled at the god then ran his fingers through his hair. “I already talked to Thor so I’ll talk to Fury more about the details.”  
Loki nodded. "Very well." He smiled at him.   
"Shall I arrange training sessions with the others?" Jarvis asked. "They'll be asking for the time to know how far they can leave him to his own."  
Tony thought about that for a moment. “Let me smooth things out with Fury first then we’ll see how we handle everybody else. We know Steve and Bruce are on our side, so that’s a plus.” He sighed heavily. “Now we just have to deal with Bird Brain and Nat.”  
"If either of them are smart they won't challenge me." He said.   
“Yeah well don’t count on it. They’re not the types to back off or forget things.” Tony looked at the god. “Just keep to yourself and you’ll be good.” He smiled.   
Loki nodded. "Very well." He replied. "Jarvis I am done fighting for now." He said.   
“Very well Mr. Laufeyson.” The AI sent up another suit to carry back the broken bits and pieces Loki h ad left behind.   
Tony shook his head as he watched. “You are intense.”  
"I am violent." Loki corrected. "Thank you Jarvis." Loki added.   
“That’s kinda hot though.” Tony said with a playful little smile then picked up the rest of the pieces of his suit and headed back downstairs to fix it.   
Loki was confused by this and asked Jarvis what Stark meant.   
“It is meant as a flirtation Mr. Laufeyson. Calling someone ‘hot’ is a way of saying they are very attractive.”  
Loki nodded. "Thank you Jarvis."   
“Certainly Sir.”   
Tony was down in his lab, fixing his suits. Loki had really torn them up. Seems he was really upset about Thor’s sudden visit.   
“Damage?”  
“Quite extensive Sir.”  
"Sir, this could work to your advantage. By letting Mr. Laufeyson destroy the suits you could easily go by the damage that he does to make them stronger." Jarvis explained.   
“Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Go ahead and keep records of it and show me what you got from his last fit.” Tony looked at the data as Jarvis pulled up the data.   
Loki had learned a few weak spots in the suit and always went for them first.   
Tony redrew some design plans for his suits and started implementing them on holograms. He watched a simulation of Loki’s battle and tested them over and over before building another prototype.   
Jarvis also was able to pick apart how Loki took the suits down so easily.   
Tony looked at all the new data Jarvis pulled up and made different plans for his suits.   
“All right, how’s this one look?”  
“Much more difficult to bring down, certainly.”   
"Would you like it to have a test run with Mr. Laufeyson before you make it official?" Jarvis asked.   
“Not yet. Seems kinda weird to ask him to please punch the crap out of my suit.” Tony yawned and ran his hands over his face. He looked the plans over, making some more adjustments.   
"Sir I would suggest going to bed. Especially after having had a mission. If you don't I will ask Doctor Banner to sedate you."   
Tony rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Fine, fine. I’ll go to bed.” Tony put his things on another table then went upstairs. He stretched and headed into his room.   
Loki had gone to bed for the night as well as Bruce. The others had already been alerted that there would be a meeting at SHIELD.  
Tony had slept a few hours before he got a call from Fury. He groaned loudly and got up, checking his phone.   
“What is it?”  
“A meeting about your new friend. Hurry up.”  
Loki was being escorted to Shield by six Shield agents. A smirk sat on his face as they went on to Shield.   
At Headquarters the others were arriving as well.  
Everyone met up in the conference room, all eyes fixed on Loki.  
“Why isn’t that thing on a leash?” Clint scowled at Loki and Natasha pursed her lips.  
“That’s actually what this meeting is about.” Fury looked at everyone. “Those portals are still opening and as we saw with the last one, they’re going to take a little more force than we have. So, I’ve decided to let Loki join the group.”  
“What?” Steve looked at the director puzzled but resisted the temptation to look at Tony. It seemed they’d sorted things out then.   
“No one else has the capability to shut these portals without making a mess. I don’t like it either but since Loki is on probation, I have no choice.”  
“How do you know the bastard won’t turn on us?”  
Loki just smiled at him. "I am still here you realize. And believe me it's the only way to get rid of me." Loki replied. "If I help you long enough my father will allow me back home." He said. "I'll be away from you and you'll still be as pitiful as you were before." Loki smiled.  
"Should have let them kill you." Clint grumbled.   
"Well now you get to try it for yourself doubt you'll succeed."   
"Alright that's enough." Fury interrupted.


	57. Chapter 57

"We can't trust him. He's dangerous and insane and a criminal." Natasha pointed out.  
"Either he helps us or earth becomes a black hole take your pick." He said. They grew quiet.   
Fury glanced at everyone in the room and sighed heavily.   
“Believe me, I’m not happy with this arrangement at all. But we’re running out of options and fast. We need to close those portals until their energy dies off and Crazy here is the only one that can do it.”  
“Yeah and for future reference, might be a good idea not to insult the only guy that can close the portals.” Tony added in. Clint scowled at the playboy and shook his head.   
“I’m not working with that son of a bitch.”  
“Then you can go back out into the world without SHIELD protection.” Fury snapped at the archer. “Is that group of Italian mobsters still hunting you? Or the Chinese? How about the people after Agent Romanov?”  
The two went quiet, clearly upset.   
"I'm not crazy." Loki stated dully. One of the guards shoved him a bit. Righting himself Loki glared the man down. "Touch me again and I'll make sure I rip your heart out." He growled.   
"Loki stop it, please." Bruce urged.   
Loki rolled his eyes but calmed himself down.  
"Remember Laufeyson I'll put you back in that cell and you remember what happened last time." Fury said.  
"I'm so scared." He chuckled. Natasha and Clint both looked confused. What had Fury meant by last time?  
Tony clenched his jaw as he looked at Fury but he tried to keep his cool. He looked at Loki and shook his head a bit.   
Fury looked at the god then at the rest of the Avengers.   
“This won’t be a permanent thing. So why don’t we all just get along until his probation is up?”   
Natasha and Clint both nodded, though they were still tense.   
“How long until then?”  
“Thor’s dad and I worked it out. A year minimum of probation and good behavior.” Fury looked at the god. “One single slip up, and you go back to your cell for good.”  
"What about his magic? Are you really okay with just letting him have it back?" Natasha asked.  
"Loki's magic will be given to him when it comes time for a mission. Once the mission is over his magic is taken away."   
Tony glanced at the others, hoping they would just leave it at that.   
Natasha and Clint still didn’t look too convinced, but they knew the final choice was Fury’s.   
“We’re not going to be friends.” Natasha said as she gave Loki a cold look.   
"You'd hardly be hurting my feelings by saying that. I don't need friends and I don't need you. But I'll remember that when I save you." Loki replied.   
Clint was about to get up but Natasha held him back.   
“Don’t start.”  
“None of you start.” Fury snapped and glared at everyone. “You don’t need to like each other, you need to work together to get this job done. Or is saving people not important enough?”  
Everyone got quiet and nodded.   
"Oh yes you all seem to be so great at saving people." Loki chuckled. "You were going to drop a bomb to wipe out not only the people you wish to save but your own men." Loki said looking at Fury.   
Fury glared at the god and clenched his fists.   
“Don’t get cocky Laufeyson. Your cell is still waiting for you if you step out of line and you’re getting awfully close.”  
“Loki, knock it off.” Tony looked at the god sternly. He hadn’t exactly found Loki’s words very funny, considering he’d been the one stuck in a worm hole because of the bomb.   
“One year, maybe a little more maybe a little less but that’s how long all of you need to work together. Understand?” Fury looked at the group and they all gave bitter nods.   
“Good. You’ll all be called in for the next mission.”  
Loki turned to leave and the agents took him back to Stark tower.  
"I suggest you keep him under control." Fury said as he saw Stark getting ready to leave as well.   
Tony looked at Fury but didn’t answer. He headed out to his car, his jaw clenched slightly. Bruce watched him go then went after his friend.   
“Tony.” He put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “You okay?”  
“Yeah, I’m good.” He gave Bruce a little smile. “Just tired.”  
Loki was taken back up to his room and locked in thanks to Jarvis.   
Tony arrived back at the tower not long after that. He went upstairs and sighed quietly.   
“You don’t seem as happy as I thought you would be Sir.”  
“I am, Jarvis.” Tony ran a hand over his face and looked towards Loki’s room. He glanced away then sat at the bar.   
"Why not Sir? Loki now has a chance to prove that he's trying to amend what he's done." Jarvis said. "Or is it because it’s now very clear that he'll be able to go home?"   
Tony was quiet for a moment then served himself a drink. “It’s fine Jarvis, I’m happy for him.”  
“You certainly don’t seem it.”  
“I can’t make you happy, can I?”  
"No you can't seem to be happy." He said.  
Tony rolled his eyes and chugged his drink in a single go. He looked towards Loki’s room and sighed.   
“We’re gonna have to go over some ground rules or he’ll get himself stuck back in that cell.”  
“I take it the meeting did not go exactly as planned?”  
“No, it did. Everyone was on Loki’s case so he snapped back trying to be cool and ‘Oh look at me, I’m a god.’” Tony said in a mocking tone.   
"Sir perhaps he did it on purpose." Jarvis defended. "Loki hates to appear weak or show emotion and he's already done so in front of both you and Doctor Banner. Showing that to the others may be a bit much for him and he may want them to remember very well who he is and what he's capable of."  
“Yeah, that’s great but he can at least keep his mouth shut. Fury’s just waiting for Loki to do something wrong or say something wrong. I won’t be able to get him out of a cell if he messes up.” Tony rubbed his temples and shook his head. “Right now really isn’t the time to look cool.”  
Jarvis sighed. "I'm sure he knows this Sir. Loki doesn't want to go back to the cell any more than you want him too."  
“I’m just going to have to watch every single thing he says and does.” Tony rolled his eyes and shook his head a bit. This was going to be fun.   
It wasn't until a little over a month later when it finally happened. Another portal was opening and something on the other end was ready to come out.   
Everyone got ready to keep it inside the portal while Loki worked his magic.   
“You want me to keep an arrow on Loki?” Clint said into his ear piece and aimed at the god.   
“No, I need you to focus on the thing coming out of that portal.” Fury responded though it wasn’t a bad idea.   
A large creature came through and howled loudly. It immediately threw a large tentacle like arm at the Avengers and knocked them back. Clint, Natasha and Steve all jumped back, not wanting to get hit. Tony and Bruce however got hit and sent flying. The Hulk howled loudly and ran towards the creature and Tony took a shot at its eyes.   
“Guys, put down the steaks!” Tony had been working on something to keep the creature from getting too far. It was the same technology in the repulsers of his suit.   
Loki came in from overhead and landed on the creature’s face to try and take out its eyes. He only succeeded in removing one of them before he was thrown.   
Tony flew over towards Loki then dodged another hit from the creature.   
“All right, I can do this.” He flew right at its face and blasted the thing’s eye. It howled in pain and tried to hit Tony again. He shot another blast and took out another eye.   
"Make everyone move back." Loki told Tony. If he could get the beast to slow down they had a chance.  
“Got it!” Tony replied to the god then spoke into his other ear piece. “Everybody needs to move back!”  
The others hesitated, knowing the order most likely came from Loki. They did so anyway, not wanting to get hit by the thing.   
Tony fired another blast at the thing’s remaining eyes, staying out of range of its hits.   
Loki did his best to put all he could into an ice spell. The ice started to form in random places on the beast.  
Tony watched as the monster started to move slower. It howled out annoyed, trying to break the ice off but it was forming too quickly.   
“Sir, I believe you and the Hulk can force it back into the portal.” Jarvis added in. “The creature has slowed significantly.”  
“All right.” Tony flew over to Bruce, who had changed back from the Hulk. “Bruce, I need your help.”  
Loki was glad when Stark and the large green creature started to back up.  
Tony and the Hulk shoved the thing back towards the portal. It was mostly frozen by now, so pushing the creature back into the portal was easy.   
Loki focused on making the portal bigger to make it easier to shove the creature through and then to close it once more.   
Tony and the Hulk gave the creature one final shove and it fell backwards into the portal.   
“Loki, close it!”  
Loki was trying to close the portal as fast as he could. The others stood by watching as it closed, shutting everything out.


	58. Chapter 58

Tony watched as the portal closed then landed and went over to Loki. “You okay?”   
“Is everyone all right?” Fury asked through the ear pieces.   
“Yeah, we’re all good.” Steve said after he looked at everyone.   
Loki started to stand but dropped back down to a knee as he felt his magic leave him once more.   
Tony quickly went to the god’s side and helped him to his feet. “Let’s get you back to the tower. Lean on me.” Tony pulled Loki’s arm over his shoulders and glanced at the others. “I’ll be at the tower.”  
“We still have to do perimeter check.” Natasha said as she looked at Tony.   
“Loki’s in bad shape, all right? I’ll be back in a sec.” He took off into the air with the god.   
Loki wasn't really in bad shape so much as he was just tired. Ice spells, transport spells, and closing that portal only to have his magic torn away from him right after left him feeling drained.   
Tony took Loki back to the tower and flipped up his mask. “You okay?” He looked at the god worried.   
"I'll be fine." He replied. Loki leaned against the wall with a heavy sigh. "Simply did too much too soon."   
Tony nodded. “As long as you’re okay. You need anything?” Jarvis started removing the suit as Tony stood there.   
Loki shook his head as he watched Jarvis get Stark out of the suit.   
Tony shrugged. “Okay then. I gotta call Fury so if you need anything I’ll be in the lab.” Tony pulled out his phone and dialed Fury’s number.   
Loki nodded. He finally started off to his room and started to strip off his armor.  
"Would you like something to eat Sir?" Jarvis asked.   
“Stark.”   
“Hey Patches. I had Jarvis send over the information I got from that thing but really Loki’s gonna know more about it than I do.”  
“I have a question for you Stark.”  
“Shoot.”  
“How did Laufeyson get his armor?”  
Tony stopped dead in his tracks for a moment. “Armor? I didn’t even notice he was wearing it. I can ask him.”  
“Don’t get cute with me Stark. His armor is supposed to be locked up.”  
“Maybe it appears on him when he’s getting ready for the missions then!” He hoped Fury would take his cluelessness and buy it.   
"You'd better be right Stark because it was there yesterday." Fury replied.   
"Perhaps his armor works like Thor's." Jarvis replied. There were instances where Thor had shown up without his cape and suddenly he was wearing it when they were in battle.  
“Yeah there you go.”   
Fury was silent a moment then nodded. “I got your damage report. Also Barton and Romanov are pissed you didn’t make Laufeyson help with clean up.”   
“He was about to collapse so I brought him back here.”  
"Collapse? What's he collapsing for?" Fury asked as if Loki had control over it.  
“Because magic takes energy, Fury. And he’s only got a limited connection to his magic which puts even more strain on him.”  
Fury growled. "I don't give a damn next time you're both staying for clean up." He ordered and cut the call.  
Tony huffed and rolled his eyes then set his phone to the side. He went back upstairs and grabbed some water.  
“How’s Loki?”  
"Eating." Jarvis replied. "It does seem that the battle and surge of his magic returning and then leaving once more was the cause of his near black out." Jarvis explained.   
“I figured.” Tony pursed his lips a bit as he thought. He looked towards Loki’s room. “He okay though?”  
“Yes, he is recovering quite well Sir.”  
Tony nodded.   
Loki finished eating before having a shower and finally laying down in bed. He didn't go to sleep. "Jarvis I want you to keep track of the portals that are in danger of opening before anything comes through them. If I can close them before the others need to be called we can save ourselves the trouble."   
“I shall do so Mr. Laufeyson, though it is quite dangerous for you to go off on your own. Your magic will only return when you are on an official mission with the others. Should you be found going about on your own, you could be taken back to SHIELD custody.”  
"But every time we've waited too long and it's been too late."   
“Director Fury has been using his own technology to monitor the portals. Perhaps I could send him my data instead.” Jarvis suggested. “Mr. Laufeyson, I do not wish to see you dragged out of here simply for trying to help. And I know Mr. Stark would be terribly upset to see you go.”  
Loki sighed heavily. "Very well Jarvis we'll play it safe." He replied.   
“I shall keep you updated on the portals nonetheless and be sure to alert Director Fury as to which seem more likely to open.” Jarvis pulled up a hologram of all the most active portals.   
Tony messed around on his phone a bit before going over to Loki’s room. He knocked once then poked his head in.   
“Hey, you feeling okay?”  
"I am fine now." He replied. "You're welcome to come in." Loki added.   
Tony walked in and sat across from the god with a little smile. “Everybody got upset that you didn’t stay for the clean-up. It’s not even like we actually clean anything, we just canvas to make sure there’s nothing else hanging around.” Tony chuckled a bit. “I’m guessing Barton went and bitched to Fury about it.”  
"I'll be sure to fix him next time we meet." Loki answered. “I'm sure the others have their own complaints."  
“Yeah, but hey, that’s their problem.” Tony shrugged then chuckled. “They like to whine a lot. Barton still complains about me all the time.”  
Loki chuckled as well. "Care to join me for a movie?"  
Tony perked a bit. “Sure, why not?” He smiled and sat closer to the god. “Oh, wait we need popcorn.” Tony jumped up and went out into the kitchen.  
Loki shook his head. "Jarvis find something funny for this evening. I think Stark and I could both use it."   
“Certainly.” Jarvis pulled up a few titles for Loki to pick from.   
Tony came back with a bowl of popcorn and some soda. “Here, brought you a pudding cup.” He grinned.  
Loki smiled at the mention of a pudding cup. "Thank you." He smiled taking the cup. "I had Jarvis pick out a few funny films for us. “The hangover is the one I've picked." Loki replied.  
“I heard that one’s good.” Tony smiled and scooted close to Loki so they could watch the movie. Jarvis turned the lights down and brought up the movie.  
Loki needed Tony to explain some of the references to him.  
Tony chuckled a bit but explained a few of the jokes to the god.   
Loki was able to enjoy the film and laughed at the antics of the mortals.   
Tony laughed along as well, though much harder than Loki did. He even got tears in his eyes at one point.   
When the first one was over Jarvis asked if they wished to continue on to the second film and Loki nodded.   
Tony went to get another soda and offered one to Loki. “You need to try this.” He grinned then munched on the rest of his popcorn.  
Loki took the drink and sipped at it. He frowned not liking how it buzzed in his nose.   
Tony laughed at Loki’s reaction and shook his head. “Don’t like it?”  
"I don't like the way it feels in my nose." He replied.   
Tony smiled and shrugged. “It takes a little getting used to. You don’t have stuff like this in Asgard?”  
Loki shook his head. "Of course not."  
Tony couldn’t imagine a place without soda. “You’ve got magic and no soda.” He shook his head then finished his drink. “Well, at least you got to try it.”  
Loki huffed through his nose trying to get the tingly feeling out of it.  
Tony watched the god for a moment then grinned and looked back at the movie.   
Loki laughed as the group of men were attacked yet again.  
Tony laughed as well, shaking his head at the antics. Sometimes it was nice to take a break from the Avengers and just watch a movie.  
Loki got up and stretched after the second film.   
Tony moved from his spot once the movie ended. He looked at Loki and smiled.  
“So is this a date?”  
Loki looked at him. "No, I just thought we'd pass some time together." He replied.   
Tony shrugged but still had a playful smile on his face. He picked up the bowl where he had his popcorn and the empty cans of soda.   
“You wanna watch another movie or are you ready for bed?”  
"We can watch another movie. I have yet to watch the film Due Date." He replied.  
“More popcorn then.” Tony went back into the kitchen and made more popcorn. He went back into the room, another soda in hand.  
"I'll be right back I'm going to get something to eat." He said.   
Tony nodded and got comfortable. He looked around Loki’s room. The walls were still a bland cream color. Maybe he should paint it?


	59. Chapter 59

Loki frowned as he watched the film. He looked at the man in the film then back to Stark. "He looks like you."   
“Holy shit, he does. I never noticed that.” Tony grinned at the coincidence. “Course I’m more handsome than that guy, right?”  
Loki shrugged.  
Tony pouted and stuffed some popcorn into his mouth. “Whatever, I think I’m better looking.”   
"Now you're just being vain." Loki replied.   
“Well if I don’t love myself, who else is gonna do it?” Tony gave Loki a smug grin.  
"There's a difference between loving yourself and loving your looks." He replied.   
“Hey, I do both.” Tony looked at Loki then smiled. “Don’t you love yourself?”  
"Let’s change the subject."   
Tony looked at the god puzzled but didn’t press it. “Do you like scary movies?”  
"The movies you call scary are not scary. What I have seen is scarier than that."   
“Aw, damn it. I was hoping you’d get freaked out.” Tony laughed. “Like Rogers did. Oh he almost pissed his pants!”  
Loki shrugged. "I don't scare easily." Loki replied.   
“I’m starting to notice.” Tony took another drink from his soda. “Have you ever been scared though?”  
"Of course I have." He said.   
“What was the scariest moment?” He looked at Loki then munched some more popcorn.  
"When Thor and I were nearly found by a wolf when we were children." he replied.   
“Jeez.” Tony shook his head a bit. “That sounds pretty scary.” Tony sipped his soda.   
He nodded. "Luckily the guards found us first."   
“Yeah, you’re pretty lucky. Bet Thor got into a lot of trouble for that.” Tony grinned a bit.  
Loki nodded. "He was six or seven I was five." Loki answered.   
“Poor sucker.” Tony chuckled. “I never faced a wolf but I think my scariest life moment was when I almost died.”  
"Death is a scary thing to face."  
Tony nodded, sighing quietly. “It is. When I was a kid the scariest thing I could ever think of was my dad finally hitting me. After the whole missile deal I guess it kinda put things into perspective.”  
"Staring death in the face will change any man." He replied.   
“Yeah, it really does.” He looked at Loki, staring at the god’s face for a moment. He blinked then looked away. “The worm hole was the second scariest thing I’d ever been through.”  
"Stop thinking about it and put it behind you." He said.   
“What do you think I’ve been trying to do for the past year?” Tony looked at the god then away. “I went to therapists and did all these stupid exercises that were supposed to help. It just stays in my head.”  
Loki looked at him. "You won't be able to fully forget it but you'll be able to put it out of your mind enough that it won’t plague you."  
“The only time it doesn’t bug me is when you talk me to sleep.” Tony said without realizing just what he’d said. All he could think about was that night during the thunderstorm Loki had calmed him.   
"When I talk you to sleep?" He asked.  
Tony looked at Loki then away, blushing. “Well I-I…” He cleared his throat. “When I can’t sleep I ask Jarvis to play the audio from the night of the storm. It…it helps me sleep.” He looked way from Loki flustered.   
Loki blushed as well. He never thought much about the sound of his own voice and to hear that it was helping.  
“Look it’s…” Tony huffed and ran his hand over his face. “It helps. Whenever I start having panic attacks and nightmares I just have Jarvis replay that stuff you said. I actually haven’t had a nightmare in a couple weeks.”  
"I'm glad it could help you.” He replied.  
“Yeah.” Tony still avoided looking at Loki. He was flustered and tried to sip his soda but some of it spilt into his lap. “God damn it.”  
"Oh come on stark." Loki grabbed a discarded shirt to soak up the liquid.   
“I didn’t do it on purpose.” He pouted upset. At least it all spilled on him and not the bed. He got off the bed, making a face. “That feels so gross.” He pulled his sweat pants off.   
"Could you not change in your room?" he asked.  
“I wasn’t going to walk over there with soda on my pants! Do you know how gross that feels?” He shuddered and headed to his room. Tony tossed his dirty sweatpants onto the floor then grabbed another pair and pulled them on.  
Loki shook his head. When Stark came back Loki returned to the film.  
Tony sat down again and went back to watching the movie, chuckling every so often.   
By the end of the film it was late.  
Tony sighed content as the movie ended and Jarvis turned the lights back up.   
“Man, that was fun.”  
Loki nodded with a large yawn and a stretch. "Shall we head for bed?"  
Tony stretched and got to his feet. “Yeah, I guess so.” He picked up his trash then looked at Loki. “Oh, by the way, I got you some more books. They’ll be here in the morning.”  
"Thank you." Loki replied.  
Tony nodded. “Night.” He winked at Loki with a little smile then went to his room.  
Loki settled into the bed and made himself comfortable.  
Tony flopped over onto his bed, yawning and curling up to his pillows.   
"Is something wrong, Sir?" Jarvis asked Loki when he realized that he count get comfortable.   
"No, I'm fine." he replied.   
“Are you sure? Perhaps you should take one of your sleeping pills.” Jarvis suggested, thinking perhaps all the junk food was keeping Loki awake.  
Loki nodded. Going into the bathroom he took what he needed and drank a bit of water.   
“That should help you get to sleep, though I’m afraid you sleep rather late into the morning.”  
"It'll be fine Jarvis." He replied.   
"Very well, Sir. Shall I put on your usual programming until you fall asleep?" He asked.  
"Yes, thank you."   
Jarvis turned on the TV for Loki, turning it to his favorite show until the god fell asleep.   
Tony woke up tangled in his sheets the next morning, his face buried into his pillow.  
Loki of course was fast asleep still that morning.  
Tony turned over, snoring softly.   
“Sir.”  
Tony grumbled then kept rolling before falling right off his bed. He groaned loudly and frowned at the floor. Good thing it was carpet.  
"Sir you could at least put yourself back into the bed." He said.   
Tony grumbled and dragged himself back up into the bed.   
Jarvis said nothing else to his creator.  
Tony sighed content and started to fall asleep again.   
“Try to stay on the bed this time Sir.”  
Loki finally woke up and with his awakening came a deep thirst that sent him into the bathroom drinking water.   
Tony woke up after some time, his hair messy and some dry spit on his cheek. He went into his bathroom and washed his face off before stepping out of his room.   
“I’m kinda hungry.”  
“Will you be attempting to make pancakes again Sir?”  
“Why? So you can laugh at me?”  
"No because Mr. Laufeyson is making waffles for breakfast already. Doctor Banner returned late last night and is still asleep in his room." Jarvis explained.  
“Oh, Loki’s making waffles?” Tony went into the kitchen and grinned when he saw the batter. “Awesome. I’m gonna make coffee.”  
Loki was making a tall stack of waffles unsure of how many they could eat in total between the three of them.  
Tony got some coffee going then looked at the god. “You sleep okay?”  
Loki nodded. "I may need more of the sleeping pills soon though." Loki replied.   
“All right. We can tell Bruce when he wakes up and he’ll write you another subscription.” Tony served himself some coffee when it was done.   
Loki nodded. "Thank you." He replied.   
“Yeah, no problem.”  
Bruce woke up and walked out into the kitchen. He yawned and smiled a bit at Loki and Tony.   
“Morning.”  
"Good morning Doctor." Loki greeted. "Would you like some waffles?” He asked.  
“Yeah, thanks.” Bruce gave Loki a little smile then looked at Tony. “I heard you two last night. You stay up?”  
“Yeah, we were watching some movies.” Tony grinned.  
"Would you like to join us next time?" Loki asked.   
"I might." He replied.   
“It was fun Bruce. You should really try it.” Tony smiled and sipped his coffee.   
“As long as you’re not picking the movies.” Bruce chuckled.  
“Hey, I have great taste in movies!”  
"I pick the movies." Loki replied. “I believe another string of comedies will be needed Jarvis." He smiled.  
"Certainly Sir." the AI answered.   
Bruce smiled a bit and nodded. “Haven’t sat down to watch a movie in a long time.”  
“Well then you can catch up.” Tony smiled at his friend.  
"Then after breakfast we shall sit down for more films." Loki smiled.  
"Dr. Banner, Loki has something he wishes to ask of you." Jarvis interrupted.   
Bruce looked over at Loki. "Something wrong?"   
"I am in need of more sleeping pills." He replied.   
Tony looked at the two then sipped his coffee before his phone rang.   
“Hello?”  
“Tony, it’s Steve. We need to talk.”  
“Oh come on Cap…”  
“It’s about Loki.”


	60. Chapter 60

Tony tensed. “All right, where?”  
"I'll meet you in the lobby of the tower." He replied. "Get down here I'll be there in five."   
Tony nodded then hung up and went down to the lobby. He waited around then looked at Steve.   
“What’s going on?”  
The super soldier clenched his jaw slightly. “I think Fury’s getting suspicious about Loki. He went to the vaults to look for Loki’s armor…” Steve paused then held up an old, battered piece of Tony’s suit. “And found this.”  
Tony paled slightly and swallowed.   
"Tony did you send your suit to get Loki's armor before we revealed it to the team?" he asked.   
Tony looked at Steve then away and shook his head. “No, I-I used some droids to get into the vaults.” He ran his fingers through his hair upset. “Loki was helping with the other portals but he needed his armor to stay protected.”  
"Do you realize how stupid that was? You could have put him back in his cell. Fury is ready to send agents down here and have Loki taken in."   
“I know that Rogers!” Tony snapped at Steve then looked away. “I have to talk to him. I can’t let him take Loki back, he hasn’t done anything.”  
“Why don’t you just explain it to him? Tell him the truth.”  
“He won’t care that Loki was helping to close those portals, he just wants to take him back. This is my fault.” Tony looked around, his mind buzzing.   
"Tony calm down for a minute. Take a few deep breaths." Steve instructed. "Now think calmly and try not to do anything rash." He said.   
Tony took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before looking at Steve.   
“I’ll take care of this. Thanks for telling me.”  
Steve nodded. “I thought you’d want to be the first to know. Fury pulled me, Agent Romanov and Agent Barton to the side. He told us to keep an eye on Loki since you’re getting so close.”  
Tony nodded and looked down. “I’ll handle this.”  
“He seems to listen to you and Bruce. I don't want to see him back in a cell Tony, not now that I know what Fury will do to him." He explained. "I also don't think that Nat and Clint know about the footage yet?"  
“We can’t show them, Fury would pitch a fit. He told me to back off and right now that’s the only thing keeping Loki safe.” Tony pursed his lips. “We’ll show them after I get all this sorted out.”  
Steve nodded. “You should probably give Loki a head’s up.”  
“Yeah, I’ll talk to him in a minute.”   
"Maybe luck will be on our side and no portals will open for a while and that will keep Fury out of everyone's hair for a while."  
“Let’s hope we have that much luck.” Tony thanked the soldier again then went back upstairs. He looked at Loki and sighed quietly. “We need to talk.”  
Loki sighed. "What now?" he asked.  
“Fury found the pieces of my old armor that I put in the vault when we got your back.” Tony looked at Loki then away. “He’s getting suspicious about what’s been going on. I’m going back down to SHIELD to talk to him about it.”   
"Is that really wise?" Loki asked. "He wants any reason to block me up again and I'll not go without fighting."   
“I’m not going to let you go back there. Fury isn’t going to take you back to the cell if I have to fight the guy myself.” Tony looked at the god. “I’ll handle it, okay?”  
Loki nodded. "Alright. When are you going to leave?" He asked.   
“I’m not going to bring it up until he calls me about it. Otherwise he’ll ask how I found out and I’ll get Rogers in trouble. I’ll go by in a few days, let him cool down.”  
Loki nodded. "Good then. In the mean time we'll be able to enjoy our movie night." He said.   
Tony looked at the god and smiled a bit. “I guess I should have thought this through more.”  
"No matter how much planning there is he will always be off set about me." Loki replied.  
“I guess you’re right. Just wish I hadn’t given him that extra reason.” Tony pursed his lips a bit. “He isn’t going to take you back. I promise.” Tony looked at the god.   
Loki nodded. "I trust you." He said.   
Tony smiled a bit. Now he just had to wait for Fury to say something. He knew the man couldn’t keep his mouth shut about this. If there was one thing Fury loved as much as picking on Loki, it was picking on Tony.   
Fury was going to wait a few days before he said anything to Stark. He wanted to think he everything was fine.   
Tony didn’t like this. It had been five days since Steve had spoken to him and Fury had yet to bring anything up. The man sat in his lab, tapping his foot nervously.   
“Sir, you really must relax.”  
“Yeah, cause I can relax.”  
"Sir being this excited is not good for you right now. You have to calm down." Jarvis told him.   
“Yeah, I know Jarvis.” Tony grumbled into his hands then huffed. He rested his head on the table, tapping his foot when he heard Loki’s voice. It was the recording from that night during the storm. Tony began to relax slowly and closed his eyes.   
“I’ll be right here.”   
Loki was in his own room at the time. He hadn't been worrying but thoughts had started to come back to his mind. The ones that he'd manage to escape for a few months now.   
Tony almost fell asleep listening to the recording. He opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing his hands over his face.   
“What time is it?”  
“Three in the afternoon Sir.”  
"Loki's made lunch for everyone but since you were nearly sleep I told him you were taking a nap. He's made some for you."   
“Oh. All right.” Tony stretched then went upstairs. He walked into the kitchen and saw a pot sitting on the stove.   
"Chicken noddle soup, Sir." Jarvis shared with him.   
Tony hummed in response and served himself, grabbing some juice out of the fridge. He sat down to eat and his eyes widened with the first spoonful. How was the god this good at cooking?   
"Something wrong with the taste sir?" Jarvis asked.   
“Are you kidding? This tastes amazing.” Tony took another large mouthful of the soup. He soon finished and licked his lips.   
“That was good.”  
“He has started watching cooking shows.” Jarvis shared with him.   
“Oh yeah? I didn’t think he liked those.” Tony picked up his plate then glanced towards Loki’s room.   
Loki was watching TV but it wasn't a cooking show. He was watching a show on MTV with no memory of how he got there. "Jarvis why does this man keep calling this woman a gardening tool?"  
“I’m afraid that phrase carries a very different connotation here on Earth. You see, calling a woman such a name is usually indicative that she is very sexually active with more than one partner.” Jarvis explained, hoping the god would understand.   
“He busy?”  
“Mr. Laufeyson is watching MTV.”  
Tony grinned and shook his head. “Seriously?”   
"But the women is Asgard have sex before marriage and with one or more partners but we call her no such thing. He call her by her given name.” He frowned.  
“Things are very different here Mr. Laufeyson. Women are often subjected to such treatment, especially from men.”  
Tony walked over and opened the door, watching Loki for a moment.   
“Wow, you’re seriously watching MTV.”  
"That's moronic!" Loki exclaimed. "What a woman does with her own damn body is her business. She shouldn’t have to be treated as such. Do you know women in Asgard carry blades and if they so pleased they could fight just as well as any man."   
“I am afraid on Earth things are very different Mr. Laufeyson. Women are still often viewed as lesser than men and are treated as such.”  
Tony couldn’t help but laugh at Loki’s reaction. “Learning about humans the hard way, huh?”  
Loki glared at him and then changed the channel. "You mortals disgust me."   
Tony shrugged. “Yeah, that’s kind of obvious Reindeer Games. If it makes you feel any better, not all of them are like that. Just the stupid ones that end up on TV.”  
He huffed through his nose and made himself comfortable.   
Tony smiled at the god and shook his head.   
“You’re not going to get anywhere just watching people through the TV. You’ll end up like I did and not know how to handle real people.”   
"I never knew how to handle people in Asgard. I'm not one for company." He added.  
“That kinda shows. But hey, some people can handle being alone better. I’m more the extrovert personally.” Tony shrugged. He knew Pepper was more on the introvert side. If it weren’t for her meetings, she’d spend all day alone.


	61. Chapter 61

"I like being alone. I can think and read and use my magic in peace." Loki explained.  
Tony nodded a bit. “Guess that makes sense. You wanna be alone now?” He gave Loki a half smile as he stood in the door way.   
He looked at him. "Did you need something?" he asked.  
“Well first off I wanted to tell you that your soup was amazing. You should really make some for Fury, maybe he’d like you more.” Tony smiled a bit. “And I just wanted to check on you. Fury hasn’t called back yet about finding my armor.”  
"I shan't be making anything for that ingrate." Loki replied.   
Tony laughed and shook his head. “I was saying you could make it as a bribe. Or slip him some laxatives.” Tony shrugged. “Guess I’ll leave you alone then.”  
"I am glad you enjoyed the soup. Help yourself to it." Loki replied.   
“Oh I’m gonna have more. See you later Reindeer Games.” Tony turned and walked out of the room, heading back to his lab. Might as well get some more work done before another portal opened.   
“Sir, Director Fury is on the phone.”  
Tony tensed a bit and took the call in his lab.   
“Hello.”  
"Stark we need those arrows you were working on with the new tech for Barton." He said.   
“I’m almost done with em. Gotta make a few more fixes so they won’t blow up until they their target. Did you get the information I sent you?”  
“Yes, I did. I’ve got Dr. Banner and a few others looking through it. Seems the portals are steadily losing energy but there are some that are still strong enough to open.”  
“I have Jarvis monitoring them. I don’t wanna be mean but he’s a lot better at detecting these portals than your machines.”  
“Can you patch him through so we’re updated?”  
“Yeah, I’ll do that now.”  
"The portals that we have knowledge of so far have enough energy to open but they are not yet at that stage and may very well still be able to die." Jarvis informed.   
“I want constant feedback and immediate alerts on those portals. I want em closed before anything can get through.”  
Tony nodded. “I’ll talk to Loki about it. He was saying the same thing about it. It takes way too much energy to try and push something through the portal first.”  
"Alright. Then if the slightest change happens in the portal getting closer to opening shut it down." He said.   
“All right. Loki and I will go first and if things get out of hand we’ll call the others in.”  
“Fine, but I want you keeping an eye on him Stark. You’re getting awfully close to the same bastard that tried to take over.”  
Tony clenched his jaw but didn’t argue with Fury. He didn’t want to slip up now and piss the man off.   
“I will.”  
"You’d better. If you get any closer, I'm placing him in someone else’s custody." He said.  
Tony tensed but nodded. “I got it.”  
“See that you do.” Fury ended the call, leaving Tony alone in the lab. The playboy ran his tongue along his teeth in thought then picked up one of his tools.  
“Give me something to do Jarvis.”  
"Sir perhaps you would like to keep working on the suit upgrade based on Loki's power against them." Jarvis said.  
Tony nodded quietly and pulled up his notes, getting a few things out and working on the suit. He turned on some music and spent the entire night upgrading and testing his suit.   
"Shall I ask Mr. Laufeyson to come down to assist you? I think it best if he does; he's been shouting at the TV for an hour." Jarvis said.  
Tony laughed at this and nodded. “Yeah, go ahead and send him down.”  
“Mr. Laufeyson, I am sorry to interrupt your program, but Mr. Stark would like your assistance in the lab.”  
Loki nodded and got up. "What does he need my help with?" Loki asked and he headed for the lab.  
“No, no, no! Aim at the arm plate, not my head!” Tony shouted at Dum-E then scoffed as the machine failed again. “No, put that down! Go to the corner!”  
The machine beeped sadly and went into the corner, making odd little noises of distress. Tony pursed his lips and shook his head then turned and noticed Loki.   
“Oh, there you are! I need your help with an upgrade for my suit.”  
Loki looked at Stark. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.  
“Jarvis was recording your fight patterns with my suits and found some issues with the structure. So I thought I’d get you to help me test em out.” Tony grinned at the god. “I just finished upgrading them based on your fight patterns.”  
Loki arched a brow. "So you want me to attack it again?" he asked.  
Tony nodded. “Yep!” He clapped his hands and one of his suits stepped forward. “I mean, if you’re up to it.”  
Loki smiled nodding. "Jarvis."  
"Already working the suit to fight back." I shall meet you on the roof." Jarvis said.  
The suit’s eyes glowed and it flew out through the garage, heading up to the roof. Tony chuckled in his throat and followed Loki up to the roof as well.  
“You really enjoy this don’t you?”  
"Yes." Loki replied. "You have no idea what it’s like to feel your power weaken and sit and be able to do nothing for months." He said. "I'm rusty as you humans say."  
Tony chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah well if that’s what you call rusty then I’d hate to see what you look like at the top of your game.” Tony stood to the side so Loki could have space to fight the suit.   
"At the top of my game I can take on a full troll." He replied.  
“Yeah, I can see that.” Tony got comfortable to watch the fight. “Try not to break it too much.” He smiled playfully at the god.  
"I make no such promises." he chuckled. Loki only took a few minutes to put a few dents in the suit.  
Tony watch impressed by Loki’s skill. He watched god fight and chuckled when the suit fought back, landing one or two hits.   
Loki growled at the suit and unleashed his anger completely.  
“Whoa!” Tony couldn’t believe Loki’s ferocity. He chuckled as he watched. His suit took hard hits before updating its pattern for Loki’s blows. It began dodging and hitting back again.  
Loki changed his patterns as well and began to void the hits. He stuck a small blade into the space between the thigh and torso  
Tony threw his arms and cheered then jumped up to his feet. “That was amazing!”   
The suit slumped and was about to fight again when Jarvis stopped it.   
“Very good Mr. Laufeyson.”  
"You're welcome Jarvis." He said with a smile.  
Jarvis controlled the suit and took it back into the lab. Tony watched it go then looked at Loki.   
“They should really have you training agents with SHIELD. You make em look like untrained kids.” He chuckled.   
"I'm not training anyone. Even if they asked I would say no." He replied.  
Tony shrugged. “Still think it would be a good idea. If nothing else you’d get to be up SHIELD agents all day.” Tony grinned. “I’m going to fix the suit then I’ll send it back up again. You up for that?”  
Loki nodded. "Very well." He replied. “I will come down to the lab with you to watch."   
“All right.” Tony smiled playfully then went back down to the lab. He looked over the damage the suit had taken and pulled out some of his weapons.   
“Status.”  
“No internal damages to the suit, though the exterior plates have been displaced and the insulation has been punctured. No damage to the wiring.” Jarvis stated then showed Tony a chart.  
"I guess I need to do better." Loki replied.  
Tony looked at the god then started taking apart the damaged plates. “Don’t take it too hard. Jarvis learns and updates as a fight progresses. He immediately updates his data on any subject.”   
He nodded. "Jarvis is rather amazing. We don't have any talking voices that can’t be seen or come from the ceiling in Asgard but we do have an antiquated system of what you use."   
“Antiquated? You mean you’ve had technology like this?” Tony looked at Loki surprised. He knew of course that Asgard would be vastly different in terms of technology, but he wasn’t expecting this.   
"Yes." He replied. "Your science and our magic are the same thing." He replied.   
Tony smiled. “I wish I could see it. It must be amazing.” He thought of the memory Loki had summoned up in the simulation room and tried to imagine the rest of Asgard.  
"I could show you more couldn't I? Using that thing you showed me from our vacation."   
Tony grinned wide at that thought and nodded. “Jarvis, start up the simulator room!”   
"Right away Sir." Jarvis got it going and Loki smiled. He thought of what he could show Stark this time.  
Tony took Loki into the simulator room.   
“All right, let’s get you hooked up.” He grinned and went into the small room.  
Loki smiled and nodded as he settled him into a seat so he could concentrate.  
Tony got Loki connected to the machine then stepped aside and let Jarvis do the scans.   
“Scanning now. Beginning image downloads.”  
Loki thought of every single detail of Jotunheim from the rainbow bridge to the Bifrost. The sea, the sky the moon the smell of brine in the air.   
The scans continued for a moment before Jarvis finished.   
“Scans complete. I am now transferring them into the simulation room. You may have to wait a moment; there is quite a lot.”  
Tony smiled then went over and started taking the wires off of Loki.   
“So, what are we gonna see this time?”  
"You'll see." Loki replied. He got up and moved Stark to a certain spot in the room. "Stand right here.' He smiled.   
Tony gave Loki a slightly amused look but did as the god told him. He stood in that spot and glanced around. “Do I close my eyes?”  
"If you want too." He replied. "But it'll only add to the shock." Loki smiled.


	62. Chapter 62

Tony frowned curiously and his eyes widened as the room began to change. The entire landscape went dark and began to cover in ice. Tony looked around in complete shock, unable to believe what he was seeing as Jotunheim began to form around him.   
“Oh my God…”  
"This is Jotunheim. This is the land I was born in. The land of frost giants.” He replied.   
“I had to adjust the temperature for you Mr. Stark, otherwise your blood would freeze in your veins.” Jarvis added in.   
Tony was shaking still but he was so amazed he didn’t even care. He looked around at the massive spires of ice and snow.   
“This is incredible.” He looked at Loki then smiled. “This is-oh my God!”   
Loki smiled at Stark's amazement. "This is only a part of it." He said. "This is only but a single field of the room, wait until you see what the actually palace looks like."   
Tony grinned wide as he looked at Loki, shaking from the cold. “I actually get to see the rest of it?”  
"Not today. I think you'll freeze to death first." He smiled. "Jarvis you can turn it back." He replied.   
"Yes, Sir." Jarvis said.   
Tony pouted as the view of Jotunheim vanished. He rubbed his arms and jumped in place a bit, trying to warm himself up.   
“That was amazing. Kinda scary looking but amazing.”  
Loki chuckled. "Asgard is much warmer."   
“When do I get to see that?” Tony gave a playful smile and shuddered one final time before he finally warmed up.   
"Maybe one day." He replied.   
“I’m holding you to that.” Tony looked at Loki then pulled out his phone when it went off.   
“Hello?”  
“I want you and Loki to stay ready; there’s a portal we’ve got that’s wanting to open.”  
“All right. I’ll have Jarvis keep an eye on it.”  
"I'll suit up." Loki replied as he headed for the door.  
Tony nodded at the god and hung, going to get his suit on.   
“Jarvis, where’s the portal at?”  
“Not far. It is fluctuating in energy though it has not opened just yet.”  
"Best if we go now." He replied. "I don't want to fight anything that forces its way through."   
“Yeah, you’re right.” Tony finished getting his suit on and walked out onto the balcony. “Ready?”  
He nodded. "Yes," He replied. "Ready when you are." He said feeling his magic start to serge through him.  
Tony nodded and flipped on his visor. He grabbed Loki by the waist and they headed to the portal. It was visible and quivering, but hadn’t opened yet.   
Loki let go of Stark to drop down to the ground. Focusing on the portal Loki saw that it wasn't going to open just yet and started to close it with a spell.   
Tony landed near Loki, keeping an eye on the thing to make sure it didn’t open. He called Fury on his ear piece.  
“We’re at the portal. Loki’s closing it right now.”  
“Did anything come out?”  
“No, there’s nothing here. The area seems pretty empty too, so I don’t think anybody’s in any trouble here.”  
"I've scanned the area, Sir." Jarvis told him. "Nothing has come out."   
“I’ll have Jarvis send you all the information we’re getting, but everything looks clear here.”  
“Good. How big’s the portal?”  
“A lot smaller than the ones that were fully opened.”   
"Good. The others don't seem to be any closer to opening so we'll leave them be. When you're done you can head back to the tower."   
“Gotcha.” Tony ended the call and looked at Loki. “You holding up okay?”  
Loki gave him a stiff nod as the portal finally closed off. "There we go."   
Tony nodded back at the god and flipped up his face plate. He watched as the portal closed and he sighed quietly.   
“Well that’s done. You ready to head back?”  
Loki nodded. "I'll see you there." He smiled fading from Stark's view.  
Tony shook his head a bit and smiled to himself before flying off into the air. He headed back to the tower and landed outside, letting Jarvis remove his suit.   
Loki was waiting back at the tower for him a cup of tea in hand. "Took you long enough."   
Tony rolled his eyes as he walked over. “Hey, I can’t teleport so hush it.” He pouted then grabbed a beer and sat down with Loki. “Not too bad though. Got the portal closed and we didn’t even have to fight anything.”  
"Exactly. Why can we not simply do it that way instead of waiting until they've opened?"   
“Because Fury’s technology is a few steps behind mine.” Tony grinned smugly. “Plus he didn’t realize you could help us out.”  
"He doesn't want to admit that they need my help."   
“And he never will. Fury’s got a stick really far up his ass.” Tony shook his head and took a swig of his beer.  
Loki laughed wholeheartedly.   
Tony smiled at Loki when he heard the god laugh and he chuckled. “I made you laugh. Look at that.” He sipped his beer again.   
"I am capable of such actions." Loki replied.  
“Oh I know. Just seems like every time I open my mouth it makes you frown.” Tony smiled playfully and took another drink of his beer. “You look better when you smile like that.”  
He smiled and nodded. "Okay."  
Tony grinned sheepishly and looked away from the god. “You’re such a dope.” He finished his beer then got a message from Fury.  
“Jarvis, did you send him all the info?”  
“Yes Sir, but I am afraid I am not uplinked into SHIELD systems and could not explain it to him.”  
Loki frowned. "Is that a problem?" Loki asked.   
Tony looked at the god and shook his head. “Not really. Just means that I have to actually analyze most of the data and resend it to him.” He sighed heavily. “I keep telling Fury to just let Jarvis into SHIELD systems but he doesn’t trust me.” Tony shrugged. “I mean, I wouldn’t trust me either but he’s an idiot about it.”  
Loki started laughing. "If you wouldn't trust you, why should I trust you either?" Loki asked.   
“Cause I’m cute.” Tony grinned smugly then shook his head. “I’m always honest with my friends. You can even ask Bruce if you want. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you’d be able to tell if I was lying to you.”  
Loki smiled. “I would be able to tell. But I still needed to ask." He replied. "All in good humor."   
Tony chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I get that. Well hey, at least you trust me.”  
Loki nodded. "That is very true." He nodded at him.   
“And I trust you.” Tony gave Loki a little smile and there was a playful gleam in his eyes.  
Loki got up from the couch with a long stretch towards the ceiling.  
Tony watched Loki for a moment then quickly looked away.   
“Oh hey, I just realized something. You can move around more.” Tony hadn’t thought about this, but since Loki was part of the Avengers now, which meant he had-almost-the same permissions they did.   
“We could go back to my beach house when all this portal crap is over.”   
Loki looked back at him. "We can?" He asked.   
Tony nodded. “Yep. I mean, you still can’t go anywhere alone but now you can go to the other headquarters. And that includes my beach house.” He smiled.   
Loki smiled. "I would enjoy going back. Would the guards still have to go with us?" He asked.   
Tony shrugged. “We might still have to take one or two but there won’t be as many as usual.” He looked at the god. “We should go back and see if you can’t get a little tan.” He chuckled.   
"I don't tan." Loki replied. "It's pretty much impossible for me to do so."  
Tony looked at the god in disbelief. “Wow, seriously? So you just stay that pale all year long?”  
“Yes." Loki replied. "Or had you not noticed that Thor is darker than I am." He asked.   
“I thought it was just because you were in custody for a year.” Tony was surprised by this. Not that it was a bad look on the god; he wore pale skin amazingly well.  
Loki shook his head. "No it is not." He replied.   
Tony hummed in response. “Well, it’s a good look for you.” Tony gave a little smile.  
Loki chuckled. "Looks good on me. That would be like saying your skin looks good on you. It's not something you can change."   
“That…” Tony huffed, crossing his arms. “I meant you look good!”  
"I know what you meant." He smiled, leaving Stark in the living room.   
Tony watched the god walk off and couldn’t help staring. He shook his head flustered and looked back over the repairs for his suit. It was just a puppy crush. He’d be over it in no time. Though he’d probably never get tired of staring at Loki’s ass.  
Loki smiled as he walked into his room. He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have teased Stark as he had knowing the man's feelings for him.   
Tony ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He took his tablet back downstairs with him and got to work on his suit, trying to get his mind busy with work. Anything to take Loki off his thoughts.  
Over the next month and a half they'd closed seven portals before they opened completely and the last few were so weak they closed on their own until they were gone.  
“Everything’s looking good. According to the information we got from Stark, these other portals are too weak to open. They’re losing energy but stay alert just in case there’s another influx.”


	63. Chapter 63

Everyone nodded at this, looking over the information.   
“And if they do open?”  
“They won’t get very big. See this?” Tony pulled up the map of the few remaining portals. “That’s as big as they’ll get. Even if they did open, nothing could get through.”  
The others nodded. "Makes sense." Steve said.   
"So that means the green eyed monster is off the team again right?" Clint asked.  
Loki had been standing in a corner not really listening until Clint called him a monster. His eyes now fixed on the archer with a dark look.  
Bruce went over by Loki to stop him already seeing the look in his eyes change.  
"Loki don't. It's only going to end badly for you."   
Tony frowned at the archer then looked at Loki. He was thankful Bruce stepped in to stop the god, though it didn’t shut Clint up.   
“For now, yes.”  
Tony’s eyes widened and he looked at Fury shocked. “What? After everything he did and you’re just-“  
“I let him on the team to help close the portals Stark! And the last time I checked, this was my decision to make. Now if you’ve got a problem with that we can talk privately.”  
Tony was about to argue more but all he could hear was Fury’s threat to move Loki somewhere else. He clenched his jaw and sat back.   
Clint had a sly smile on his face. "Finally. Have fun staring at the wall agent freak." Clint called to Loki.  
"Let’s go." Bruce grabbed Loki almost forcefully and removed him from the conference room.  
"Agent Barton keep up with the name calling and I'll make sure you get a fitting punishment as well." Fury said.   
Clint’s smile faded as he looked at Fury then away. Tony snorted quietly then stood and left with Bruce and Loki. Well that went surprisingly better than he’d expected. Tony was half expecting Loki to rip Clint’s throat out.   
“Guess we’re back to square one.”  
“Yeah, shocking.” Tony frowned and went out to his car with the two. “I don’t get it. Loki closes the portals by himself and he’s still not good enough to fight with us!”  
“Tony, you need to calm down.” Bruce got into the passenger’s seat.  
Loki sat in the back already stuck in his head with spiraling thoughts.   
Tony got into the driver’s seat and growled out upset. “We were so close.” He said quietly then hit the steering wheel of the car. “We were so close!”  
“I know Tony, but getting mad about that now won’t help. We’ll just have to go back to sneaking Loki into missions.”  
“Fury’s starting to get suspicious about, what if he finds out?!”  
"Loki's far better at hiding himself then you give him credit for. But eventually he's going to want Loki back on the team. Things go through a lot smoother when Loki is there to help." Bruce explained.   
Tony sighed heavily and nodded. “You’re right. We just have to wait for Fury to realize how much easier it is to have a god on the team.” Tony shook his head a bit. He didn’t like this but it didn’t surprise him. He knew Fury would pull something like this.   
They arrived back at the tower just as it started to rain. A storm had pulled in almost out of nowhere and the sky got dark.   
As soon as they got in Loki went up to the roof to sit in the oncoming Storm. Jarvis had advised against it but Loki had explained how he'd been inside of storms because he was Thor's brother.   
Tony watched the god go then sat at the island.   
“This is going to take forever.”   
Bruce nodded and sat with his friend.   
“What else can we do though? We got this far, didn’t we?”  
Bruce sighed. "If you need me I'll be in my room." He said. What more could they do right now? They didn't know when they would have another mission present itself to them.   
Tony stayed up most of the night in his lab. They’d just have to go back to sneaking Loki in on missions. What Fury didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.   
Loki finally came back into the tower. He was soaked to the bone but didn't care. Standing on tile flooring he stripped down to his underwear before heading to the bedroom.   
Tony worked quietly on his suit, making some more adjustments to it based on Loki’s fight pattern. He paused every so often however, his mind wandering to what the god had said earlier. I know what you mean. And that smile. That playful little smile. Tony sighed and set his tools down. He was letting this get to his head.   
It seemed the forces of fate were finally smiling on Loki. Another four months passed with little to no activity when Fury called everyone in for an emergency. He’d specifically told Tony to keep Loki at the tower, but both Tony and the god knew he wouldn’t stay.   
“I’ll have Jarvis send you all the information we get. You have your cloaking device and your armor, right?” Tony looked at Loki as the last pieces of his armor snapped on.  
He nodded. "I'm more than ready." He replied. "I'll be listening in on everything."  
Tony smiled a bit at the god. “Same deal as usual: go in, stay hidden, do most of the mission for us.” He chuckled a bit then flipped on his visor and flew off.   
Everyone arrived at SHIELD HQ quickly enough and listened as Fury debriefed them.  
“Some of our agents have gone missing. They were investigating a possible threat when all communication was suddenly lost. We received a ransom video stating that if we did not comply, the agents would be killed. Now, we’ve managed to track them down and have a location.”   
A map pulled up for everyone to see.   
Clint and Natasha frowned. "Why Budapest?" He asked.   
"Come on Budapest was fun." She smiled.   
"Well now isn't a time for fun. Lives are at stake and we need to get them back one alive." Fury told them.   
Clint and Natasha both nodded quietly.   
“So what’s the plan?”  
“We go in and get them out. There’s really not a whole lot else we can do but we need to be careful. I don’t think I need to remind you all of this but it is dangerous.”  
“Who would have guessed?” Tony said sarcastically, earning a disapproving frown from Fury.  
"I want you all to head out as soon as possible. The faster we get this done the better." He said.   
"We'll bring them home Sir." Steve nodded.   
Everyone got onto the jet planes and they headed straight to Budapest. They looked over the files of the missing agents and looked at plans of the building where they were held.   
“It’ll be easier if we go through here and go into this rear hall.” Steve pointed out his plan.  
"What do we do if they find out we're in?" Clint asked.   
“We’ll need a diversion to draw them out.” Steve frowned in thought then looked at Tony and Bruce. “Think you can get their attention?”  
“Rogers, don’t insult me.” Tony gave him a sassy look. “Hulk and I can take these morons. The rest of you get the agents.”  
Steve nodded. “There are four captives, so we need to be quick.”  
Bruce nodded. "Ready when you are." He told them. They dropped round to the front of the building.  
Loki was listening in on the information they were being given and for the moment thought he wouldn't be needed as sat down in a chair.  
“I would stay ready Mr. Laufeyson. Your assistance may be required to extract the agents.” Jarvis chimed in when he sensed Loki’s disdain. He knew the god wanted to help.  
The Avengers quickly scouted the area before gathering together.   
“The front entrance is too heavily guarded. Stark, Dr. Banner, get their attention there and draw them away from the back right of the building.”  
Both men nodded before Bruce turned into the Hulk quietly. Tony went ahead a ways on foot. It couldn’t be obvious that they were stalling or else the captives would be moved. He’d have to try and actually get inside. Tony readied one of his missiles and fired it at the lookout tower.  
Went it came through that a large green monster and Ironman were there all the agents knew what they were up against and started to head to the front leaving the captives locked away in a high security cell.  
Steve watched the commotion start to build up at the front and headed to the rear of the building with Natasha and Clint. The three knocked out the few guards there and snuck into the building.   
Tony blasted at some of the attacking soldiers and made his way towards the building. The Hulk howled out loudly, throwing the people aside like dolls.  
"Come on get them out quickly.” Steve ordered.   
Natasha went ahead a ways, taking out some of the guards and looking for the room.   
“Cap, they’re down this way!”  
Steve and Clint rushed over but the door was heavy and locked.   
“Barton, can your explosives get through this?”  
“If I had a hundred of them I could but I’ve only got ten on me Cap.” He looked around. “The guards have to have a key to the room.”   
“So we search all the guys we just knocked out?” Natasha looked at Clint then sighed heavily. This was going to take a while.   
Tony blasted a few more guards but they kept rushing out at them. And then the guns came out. A blast of energy whizzed past Tony and Jarvis quickly analyzed it.   
“Jarvis, tell me that’s just energy.”  
“I’m afraid not Sir. From what I gathered they dispel other energy signatures.”  
The Hulk growled and swung his arms heavily but the blasts were quickly wearing him down.


	64. Chapter 64

"Sir, I would suggest heading to the location now. They are running into a brick wall. Mr. Stark and Doctor Banner have the guards distracted but the other cannot get through the security system to get the SHIELD agents."  
Tony tried to get rid of as many of the guards as he could, but it was hard to do that and dodge hits. He’d already gotten hit once and it took a decent chunk of energy from his suit.   
The Hulks blows were still strong but slower now. The beast howled loudly, picking up an armored car and throwing it at some of the guards.   
Inside, the other three looked desperately for a key that could open the door with no luck.   
“Anything?” Steve said through his ear piece as he checked the last guard.   
“Nothing.” Natasha pursed her lips.  
Loki made sure the others couldn’t see him though it would be pointless when he knew what he had to do. Appearing in front of the others he saw the already angry looks on their faces. Well at least on Barton and Romanov.   
"Get away from here." Barton ordered.   
"Do you want to get them out alive or not?" Loki asked.   
He glared.   
Loki disappeared from their sight and appeared before them again with one of the men supported against his side.   
Steve smiled surprised.   
“Get the others.” He looked at Loki then checked the man over to make sure he was all right.  
“Can you walk?”  
The man nodded and followed Steve out.  
Tony was hiding behind another car as he tried to avoid getting hit. He’d taken another blow from the guns and was down to sixty percent energy. He glanced around then saw a breaker box. Was it for the lights? Only one way to find out. He charged his blaster and hit the box, knocking out all the lights outside.  
Loki brought out the others and gave one off to Barton and the other to Natasha before taking the fourth for himself.   
Turning back to the building he looked around and focused his magic on Stark first. He pulled him pack from the battle while the agents were put onto the ship. Trying to move someone as big as the Hulk was far harder.   
The Hulk was dazed from all the energy blasts and sudden darkness. Tony looked at his friend then stopped Loki.   
“He’ll tire himself out, just leave him.” He didn’t want the god getting hurt, especially not by a confused Hulk.   
The guards began to back away as they ran low on ammo and they fled back into the building to get away from the Hulk.   
"I need to go back to the tower." He said. "I'll see you there." Loki replied patting Stark on the shoulder before disappearing.   
Tony nodded and watched Loki go before heading to the jet. He sighed and sat down then noticed the irate frowns he was getting.   
“What? Do I have something on my face?”  
“You brought that son of a bitch here?”   
Tony’s face paled as he looked at Clint. He pursed his lips a bit, trying to stay calm.   
“Yeah, I did. Silly me right? I should have made him stay at the tower so those agents could get killed.”  
"He's got a point Clint. If it hadn't been for Loki we'd still be trying to get through that damned wall." Steve said.  
“You just agree with Stark because now you’re buddies with Loki too.” Natasha snapped at Steve, her arms crossed. “Fury told you to keep Loki at the tower.”  
“He just helped us rescue those agents and didn’t once try to run or hurt any of us!”  
"That's hardly it. But fine you don't want Loki's help he can stay at the tower since you two can do everything." Steve said. "Wheels up. That’s the end of this discussion." Steve ordered.  
Natasha sighed heavily but didn’t say anymore. She sat with Clint, clearly still upset over the whole ordeal.   
For as upset as Tony was, he couldn’t help feeling anxious also. Hopefully Fury would be more understanding. If it hadn’t been for Loki, the agents would most likely be dead or seriously injured.   
They landed back in New York after some time and Tony took Bruce back with him to the tower. The man was completely exhausted and Tony to half-carry him inside.  
"I'll talk to Fury if Nat or Clint say anything. I told the agents not to say anything and they agreed to it." Steve said to Tony.  
Tony looked at the man and nodded. “Thanks Rogers.”  
“Loki did his part. If he hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have been able to get into that room without hurting somebody.”   
“Yeah. Now try to convince Natasha and Barton.”  
Steve rolled his eyes. "They're still sore abut Coulson. I am too but at least I heard Loki's side of the story as well." He said. "They haven't seen the footage."  
“And Fury won’t let us show them.” Tony shook his head. “I don’t know why it’s so hard for them to think that maybe, just maybe, we have another ally in all this.”  
He nodded. "Maybe one day but that day isn't today." Steve said. "Take care of Bruce I'll be by again tomorrow."  
“Later Rogers.” Tony watched Steve go then went back inside. He checked on Bruce then went to check on Loki. “Hey, you okay?”  
"I'm fine." He replied. Loki was against the wall for leveling as he did handstand pushups.   
Tony stared at the god for a moment before glancing away flustered.   
“All right, just making sure.” He tapped his arm a bit before speaking again. “We might get into a little trouble with Fury. Steve’s gonna help us smooth things over with him but get ready for a shit storm anyway.”  
Loki nodded and put his feet to the ground to stand up. "Do you think he'll put me back in my cell?" Loki asked.   
“No.” Tony answered quickly. “I’m not letting him drag you back there, but he’s not gonna let this slide.” Tony ran his fingers through his hair slightly agitated. “He can’t be that mad. Even he’s gotta see that we wouldn’t have done as well if you weren’t there.”  
"Perhaps Luck will be on our side. How fairs doctor Banner?" he asked.  
“Tired. Those blasts really disoriented him when he was the Hulk. Wasn’t so bad when he was the Other Guy but when he changed back he fainted.”  
"Seems like something that would happen. Looks like it takes a great deal of energy."  
“It did. Four hits almost powered out my suit when we were there. The Hulk has loads of energy but Bruce is just a guy. I have Jarvis keeping an eye on him while he sleeps.”  
Loki nodded. "Perhaps I should make something hearty to eat for him. It will help him gain a bit more energy." He said.  
Tony smiled at the god’s offer. “I’m sure he’d like that. He really likes soups and stews, by the way. He likes to dunk his bread.”  
Loki smiled at him and nodded. "I will see to it that something suitable is made."  
“Good. Oh, and just in case you’re curious, I like donuts.” Tony gave the god a cheeky smile then went to check on Bruce.   
"I wasn't." He replied with a smile. "I've never had a donut. What are they like?" He asked.   
Tony peeked back into Loki’s room completely shocked. “You haven’t had donuts? You’ve been with me for almost a year and I haven’t given you donuts?” Tony shook his head. “Jarvis!”  
“I am ordering them now Sir. There is no need to shout.”   
Loki cocked his head to a side. "Has it really been nearly a year?" He asked.   
Tony made a slight “so-so” gesture with his hand. “Almost seven months but that’s close to a year. Anyway, you need to try donuts.”   
Following Tony he nodded actually wanting to try donuts for himself.   
Tony went out and started making some coffee for when the doughnuts arrived.   
“There’s this place downtown called Krispy Kremes. They make the best donuts I’ve ever tasted, especially when they’re fresh.”  
Loki made himself a cup of tea. "How are donuts made?" He asked.  
Tony smiled and pulled up a video on his phone to show to Loki. “Like this. These are just the plain glazed ones though, there’s tons of different kinds. Some with filling, some without that weird hole.”  
Loki cocked his head to a side. "Why could you humans not be happy with regular pastries?" He asked.   
“People like different things. We like to have a lot of things to choose from. Some people want to have custard filling in their donut, some people want a plain donut without any glaze. It all depends on what you want.” Tony grinned when Jarvis told him the donuts had arrived. He paid for them then set the box on the island. “Prepare your taste buds.”  
Loki picked up a glazed donuts and tried it first. They were still warm and that made them only taste better.   
"They're good. Sweet." He commented.   
Tony nodded and picked up one of the chocolate glazed ones. He took a large bite and hummed in his throat.   
“They’re amazing.”  
"I will remind you that I do not express myself the same way you do." He said.   
Tony looked at the god curiously. “What do you mean?” He took another bite of the donut then sipped his coffee.


	65. Chapter 65

"When you say things like 'that's amazing' or 'that's awesome' He said. You say it with such enthusiasm."   
Tony laughed a bit at the god’s words. “It’s actually pretty common for people here to talk like that. Though Rogers did say once that I say too much. But Rogers is old.”  
"He may be right. You do talk too much." He said.  
Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes. “No, you just don’t talk enough.” Tony finished his first donut and reached for another.   
"I talk when I feel like it. You however might benefit from being quiet for a few moments."   
“Why? What are you gonna do?” Tony gave Loki a playful look and smiled slowly. He loved to tease and poke people, even though it wasn’t necessarily in his best interest. Like the time he finally got Bruce to turn into the Hulk. He was only so lucky he had his suit on at the time.  
Loki turned his eyes on Tony making the brunette looked him in the eyes. Loki said not a single word as he looked at the man. He'd used the same trick on Thor and it would work quite a few times.  
Tony smiled a bit and just stared back. “Pepper uses this on me all the time you know. It’s not gonna make me shut up. There was one time though when she gave me some peanut butter that almost glued my mouth shut. That was scary.”  
Loki arched a brow. "Eat some then. Stuff your mouth full and don't talk for a while."  
“Yeah, I’m just gonna stuff my mouth with peanut butter.” Tony gave the god a triumphant smile. “Guess this means I win the staring contest.”  
"Hardly." Loki replied. "But I can still make you speechless."  
Tony rolled his eyes. “And how are you going to do that? Stitch my mouth shut?”  
"That's not funny. And it will hardly quiet you. If anything it will make your cry out more." He said. "The pain is terrible and the taste of your own blood is sickening." Loki leaned in a stole a chaste kiss before side stepping Tony and going to sit down.   
Tony sat there in complete shock, his eyes wide and fixed on the wall. What had just happened? Was that a kiss? A real kiss? Slowly his cheeks stained red as blood rushed to his face and he didn’t say a single word as he sat there.   
Loki was smiling the entire time enjoying the donuts in from of him.  
Tony slumped back on his stool, trying to sort out what had just happened. He opened and closed his mouth a few times as if about to speak, but no sound came out. He grabbed his coffee and gulped it down.  
"Told you I could shut you up." Loki said a bit smugly.  
Tony looked at the god, trying to formulate a snappy comeback, but all his mind was focused on was the kiss. Loki’s lips felt so smooth against his own.   
“Sir, are you all right?” Jarvis wasn’t used to Tony being so quiet for so long.   
"He's fine Jarvis I just finally shut him up. The silence is peaceful isn't it?" Loki asked.   
“I quite agree.”  
Tony frowned at the ceiling then cleared his throat and stood.   
“I’m gonna go to my lab.” He grabbed another donut and walked to his lab, still lost in thought.   
"Don't under estimate me next time." Loki called after him.   
“Mr. Laufeyson, might I ask why you kissed Mr. Stark?”  
Tony glanced back at the god then went into his lab and groaned. He buried his face in his hands. Well, he wasn’t going to sleep easy tonight. He’d probably be awake dreaming about that kiss.  
"I meant it in no way that I was suggesting anything." He said. "Was just something fun to do that I knew would quiet him down." Loki replied.   
“Very well Mr. Laufeyson.”   
Tony sat in the lab, staring at the wall in thought. There was no way the kiss meant anything, right? It was just Loki’s way of getting him to shut his mouth. That was it.   
Loki finished eating one of the boxes of donuts before stopping himself and then finally picked a recipe for a stew to make and found one for bread as well.   
Bruce didn’t wake up until later that day. He walked out of his room, looking much more tired than usual. He looked at Loki and gave a little smile.   
“Something smells good.”  
"Stew." Loki replied. "Stark told me you were fond of thick stews and soups with dipping bread. so I made some."   
Bruce smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Thanks. You didn’t have to do all that just for me though.”  
Tony eventually wandered back upstairs, trying to keep calm and collected. As soon as he looked at Loki though, all he could think about was the kiss again. He quickly looked at Bruce.   
“How do you feel?”  
“Better. I really wasn’t expecting them to have weapons like that. Fury analyze them yet?”  
“He’s still working on it, but they have a rough idea on the ammo. They were ready for us. They had anti-Hulk ammo in another room there.”  
"Thank you for standing by me." Loki said. "And it was my pleasure to cook. I enjoy it actually."  
Bruce saw the look between tony and Loki and wondered what was going on.  
"I knew someone would try and think of something to use against the big guy. Tony you should try this stew it’s really good."   
Tony perked up a bit and went over curiously. It certainly smelled amazing. He tried his best to avoid getting too close to Loki as he grabbed a bowl and served himself.   
“Mmh, this is good.” He said as he took the first bite.   
Bruce chuckled and couldn’t but notice the odd tension between the two men.   
"Still speechless Stark?" Loki asked teasingly. "Guess I'm better than I thought." Loki smiled. He took a bowl and a small loaf of bread for himself back to his room.  
Bruce watched Loki go then looked back at Tony noticing the blush on his cheeks.   
"What did I miss?"   
Tony pursed his lips together, looking away from Bruce.   
“He kissed me.”  
Bruce’s eyes widened and he nearly dropped his soup.  
“He…what?”  
“He told me I should stop talking and I basically told him to make me. And he…did.”  
Bruce started laughing. "He made you the talkative Tony Stark shut up?"   
“I fail to see how that’s even the slightest bit funny.” Tony frowned at his friend and ate some more of his soup.   
"Because someone made you stop talking." Bruce said. "You know it was just a joke right. Not any way that he has feelings for you."   
“Yeah, I know that.” Tony looked at Bruce then grabbed some of the bread from Bruce’s plate. “Of course I know that.”  
"Okay Tony." Bruce took the bread back from him. "Get your own Loki made more than enough."   
Tony frowned at his friend then got his own bread. It was absolutely delicious.   
“Why are you so flustered anyway? That’s not like you.”  
“I’m not flustered!”  
"I'm not going to say anything else. It was just a bit of Harmless fun. That I wish I could see the footage too. Jarvis how long was Tony quiet for?"   
"Ten minutes and twenty seven seconds." Jarvis answered.   
Tony clicked his tongue, not looking at Bruce.   
“I don’t like either of you right now. Just so we’re clear.”  
Bruce smiled as he stood a bit further from Tony so he could finish eating his breakfast.  
Tony finished his soup and picked up the bowl when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.  
“Hello?”  
“Stark, you busy?”  
“Does it matter?”  
“No, but it’s polite to ask first. I’m sending you the details we got from these weapons. Can you sort through it?”  
“Yeah, sure. Send it over.”  
"Also I talked to Barton and Romanov. Don't go behind my back like that anymore Stark." Fury ordered. "Rogers was right if Loki hadn't shown up things would have gotten worse."  
“Stop benching Loki during missions and I won’t have to.” Tony snapped back. “He helped, all right? I didn’t ask him to go, he went because he wanted to help.”  
“Help himself.”  
“Does it matter? He helped us save those agents.”  
"Which is why I said don't go behind my back. I dealt with Barton and Romanov they don't have a say in it." Fury explained. "If it looks like a mission Loki might need to go on I want to know."   
“Will you actually listen to me if I tell you to let Loki come along?”  
“Don’t get fresh with me Stark. I’m willing to overlook his mistakes and your sass during missions.”  
“Oh goody.”   
"But I'm still keeping him on a short leash." Fury added.  
“Yeah, I figured.”   
“Stark.”  
“Yeah?”  
“I don’t trust him, and frankly I’m starting to question you but since he seems to listen to you, I’m going to trust that you can handle him.”  
“I will Fury.”  
Loki was in his bedroom watching another movie. He wondered if Stark had heard from Fury yet and if he was going to tell him anything.   
“Good.” The director hung up and Tony sighed. Well, at least Loki wasn’t in trouble. Bruce looked over curiously.


	66. Chapter 66

“Everything okay?”  
“Yeah, Fury just has some stuff he wants me to check.” Tony smiled at his friend then went over to Loki’s room.   
“Loki?”  
Loki sat up. "Have you spoken to Director Fury?" he asked.   
“I just did actually. He said that as long as we tell him you’re going on the missions it should be fine. No more sneaking you in.” Tony gave a little smile. “He didn’t say it out loud but I think he’s thankful you were there to help.”  
"I didn't expect to be getting a thank you anyway. He's too prideful to give it."   
“You’re right about that. He doesn’t even thank us.” Tony looked at the god and smiled. “But hey, we got you permission to go on the missions now.”  
Loki smiled and nodded at this. "Which I am very happy about. No more sneaking around. Im quite sure that Romanov and Barton are extremely displeased.”  
Tony nodded. “Oh yeah. They gave Fury shit about it already but getting missions done is more important to him. Guess that’s one nice thing about the guy.” Tony looked at the god and went quiet for a moment. He glanced away. “So, just wanted to let you know.”  
Loki nodded. "They will have to get over it then. Thank you for bringing me good news."   
Tony looked at Loki and smiled a bit then shrugged. “You’re welcome.” He went back over to check on Bruce. “You’re having a second bowl?”  
“I’m hungry.” Bruce looked at Tony then back at his food. “Loki okay?”  
“Yeah, he’s fine.”   
"Are you going to be okay?" He asked.   
“Me? Yeah, why wouldn’t I be okay?” Tony looked at the man puzzled then grabbed one of his green drinks out of the fridge.   
"Just checking. What I said before I was only teasing." Bruce admitted.  
Tony looked at Bruce and chuckled a bit. “It’s okay Bruce. I know there’s nothing there.” He shrugged and took a swig of his drink. “I have to go look at that data Fury sent me. I’ll be in the lab if you need anything.”  
"Just going to say this again though. Loki makes really good food." He said.   
“I know! Just-everything he makes is delicious on the first try. I hate it.” Tony grabbed some more bread.   
Bruce chuckled. "That's because you can't cook."   
“Ha-ha, oh you’re so cute.” Tony gave his friend a tight lipped smile then frowned. “You can’t cook either.”  
"Yes I can." Bruce frowned. "I can cook I just don’t want too."   
“And you still make fun of me all the time?” Tony huffed and ate his bread. “You’re mean Bruce, I’m so hurt.”  
Bruce chuckled and shook his head. “No you’re not.”  
“What if I was?”  
"Well I know you wouldn't be. If you're so worried about cooking then learn to cook. Loki did."  
Tony pouted at Bruce upset but thought about it very seriously. Maybe he should learn how to cook?   
"Consider it." He said.  
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Well no, it will hurt when I burn myself.” Tony looked at his hands. Oh well, it wasn’t like he’d never gotten hurt doing something before.   
"Tony you blew yourself across your lab and you don’t want to burn yourself?"  
“Hey, just cause I get covered in bruises all the time doesn’t mean I want to get burnt too. Burns hurt.”  
Bruce shook his head. "Just learn to cook." Bruce said. Who knew maybe if Tony and Loki got into a relationship he could woo him by cooking.  
Tony rolled his eyes at Bruce but spent the next few weeks trying his best to cook. He only did it when he was sure he was alone. Bruce was out of the tower and Loki was asleep. He didn’t want them to see him; he’d feel like an idiot.   
Tony worked on something new this time. He’d gotten the hang of the basics: eggs, simple pasta and meat dishes. Nothing fancy but even then his hands were covered in burns.  
Before long it seemed like the weather was growing cold. Loki seemed to sleep more because of it. He tried to ignore it as best as he could.   
Tony hissed annoyed as he burnt his finger again but he was determined to do this right. He frowned and tried to make another pancake.  
“You are doing well Sir. This time, let it sit until I tell you to flip it.”  
"Sir I would suggest cleaning up as fast as possible. Mr. Laufeyson is waking up."   
Tony cursed under his breath and quickly started cleaning up the kitchen when he finished making the pancakes. Hopefully Loki would like them. Tony had to start over from scratch almost five times to get it right.   
Loki came out of the room wrapped in a blanket. He was seeking a large cup of tea rather than something to eat.   
Tony looked at the god rather puzzled. “Hey, you okay?” He’d never seen Loki so underdressed. Was he sick?  
"Fine." He grumbled. Loki started to heat the water for his tea so he could get back to his room.  
Tony frowned a bit at this. “You sure? You don’t sound good.”   
"I'm fine." Loki insisted.   
“Okay. Umm, well I made pancakes.” Tony gestured at the plate. “They’re not as good as yours but I think they came out pretty good.”  
"Thank you for the offer but I'm not hungry." He said.   
Tony pouted a bit. He glanced at the plate of pancakes but nodded. “All right. Guess there’s more for me.” He gave a little smile.   
Loki finished making his tea and left Tony to his own.   
Tony watched the god go, frowning worried.   
“Jarvis?”  
“He is affected by the cold Sir. It would seem to be making him very fatigued.”  
Tony nodded and ran his fingers through his hair.  
"Winter here is different than the winter in Asgard." Jarvis explained.   
“Yeah, I figured.” Tony sighed quietly and sat down to eat the six pancakes he’d made. He’d really hoped Loki would try them.  
"Perhaps another day, Sir." Jarvis said not wanting to creator to give up.   
Tony nodded quietly, taking a few bites of his pancakes before leaving the stack there. He leaned back on the stool then stood.   
“Think I’m gonna work on my suit.”  
"Very well Sir. Shall I pull up the last bit of footage from when Mr. Laufeyson fought your suit?" He asked.   
Tony headed downstairs then groaned when he remembered the work Fury had wanted him to do.   
“No, bring up that info Fury sent.”   
“Very well Sir. I have already categorized and sifted through it. Seems most of the information was plans on anti-weapons for each member of the Avengers.”  
Loki was sitting in his room drifting in and out of sleep. Because of it Jarvis just kept the TV on and tried to keep the room as comfortable for him as possible.   
Tony spent most of the day in his lab. He looked over all the data and analyzed everything, testing out some of the theories and checking which ones worked and which ones didn’t.   
“Well, they had a good idea with Hulk. Relax him and force him to turn back.” Tony looked through the plans for the weapon: a simple harmonizer.   
"Shall I call doctor Banner down to do this?" Jarvis asked.  
“Yeah, go ahead. It’ll give him a better look at what we might be dealing with.” Tony pulled the information up on another screen for Bruce to look through.   
“For not knowing how much suit works, they got their guns pretty accurate. How’s the suit recharging?”  
“Slowly, but it is regaining power. I’m afraid those blasts damaged communication between the chargers and units in the suit.”  
"Shall I pull up the blueprints to get started on the repairs for it?" Jarvis asked already pulling up information left and right.  
Tony nodded and looked at the plans Jarvis pulled up. He looked everything over then went to his suit.   
“Looks like I have to replace the wires. God damn it.” He pursed his lips and opened up the suit.  
Bruce finally came down to the lab. "Whoa what did you do to the suit?" Bruce asked.   
“I have to repair it all manually. Those blasts fried the energy storages, so I have to go in and replace all the plates and wires.” Tony sighed heavily.   
"Want help?" Bruce asked. He'd helped Tony work on the suits before.  
Tony looked at his friend and gave a little smile. “No, I can handle it. Shouldn’t take too long.” He pulled out the plates and wires, tossing them aside.   
Bruce nodded. "Okay, so what did you need me for? Or did you just want me to keep you company?"   
“Actually I thought you might be interested in this.” Tony walked over to another screen and pulled up the information. “This is what they were working on for you. It’s a harmonizer they were trying to use to force you out of the Hulk-rage.”  
Bruce's head tilted to one side. "That is pretty interesting. Think Fury will let us get our hands on it to test it out?"   
Tony grinned as he looked at Bruce. “No harm in asking. I mean, it’s for science, right?”  
"Jarvis could you-"  
"Already on it Dr. Banner." Jarvis replied.


	67. Chapter 67

“I think we could use this for you during missions. Maybe it would help keep you from destroying everything.”  
"We should have destroyed their labs to make sure they couldn't build it again. Besides, we don’t even know if it'll work yet."  
“We can run a few simulations, see how it would work under standard conditions.” Tony shrugged then sighed a bit. “Maybe we should go back and destroy the labs? We should bring it up to Fury at least.”  
"Alright Stark what do you want now?" Fury asked.   
“That hideout we pulled the agents out of, what’s being done to it?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Bruce thought maybe we should destroy it and anything they might have had stored there. If we live it sitting there, there’s a chance someone else will go in and get the stuff we left behind.”  
"I sent in another group of agents to clear it out and deal with the few agents that could still function on their end." Fury explained.  
“They get everything?”  
“As far as we can tell, yes. Full inventory hasn’t been taken, but it seems that all weapons and machinery were either destroyed or taken by us.”   
“All right. Just making sure you had something planned. These weapons they were working on are really spot on.”  
"Don't worry Stark we have everything on our end. I'll send the weapon meant to be used on Banner by armed escort in one hour."   
Tony smiled a bit, clearly anxious to play with someone else’s toys.   
“All right, see you then.” He ended the call then looked at Bruce. “We have your toys.”  
Bruce rolled his eyes. "I haven't seen Loki all day. Where is he?" Bruce asked.   
“He’s still in his room. I think the difference in climate here is getting to him. Jarvis says his internal temperature is reacting to the weather.”  
"That's got to be uncomfortable." Bruce frowned.  
“I imagine so. And I don’t know how his body works so I don’t know what to do for the guy.”  
"It will pass in a few days or so Sir." Jarvis explained. "I believe it is due to the constant change in weather at this time of year as the season tries to shift over."   
“Guess that makes sense. He’s a frost giant, right? Even if he doesn’t look it, his body probably still needs cooler temperatures to stay healthy.”  
Tony nodded. “Explains why he keeps his room cold.”  
"I'm still curious as to what he would look like. Frost giant. I mean what's he really going to look like? You should ask Thor."   
“I did actually. I didn’t want any surprises, so I asked him once before Loki got here. He’s never seen Loki transform, but he says all the frost giants have blue skin and red eyes.” Tony smiled playfully. “Sounds sexy, huh?”  
Bruce rolled his eyes. "That does sound odd." He said. "Hey Jarvis based on that do you think you could come up with what a Jotun would look like from Loki's build?"   
“I believe I can conjure something similar based on lore and Thor’s description though it will not be wholly accurate.” The AI pulled up a screen and showed them a render of what he assumed Jotun Loki might look like.   
Bruce frowned. It didnt feel as right looking at it this way. It would be better if he could see it for himself.   
Tony looked at the image, though it looked rather odd. Would Loki’s skin really turn blue? Well, Thor had told him it would.   
“Who knows, maybe we’ll see what he actually looks like someday.”   
Little did they know that would be until nearly ten years later. Least for Bruce it would be.   
Tony went upstairs to check on Loki later that day. He’d spent most of the day in his lab with Bruce, testing weapons and taking them apart to catalog. He went up to Loki’s room and knocked on the door.  
“Loki?”  
Loki turned over in his bed moving this way and that. "Hm?"   
Tony smiled a bit at the sight of Loki’s messy bed hair. He cleared his throat, trying not to laugh.   
“I just came to check on you. I was wondering if there was something you needed.”  
Loki shook his head. He turned his head to look at Stark from the comfort of what seemed like a cocoon.   
Tony snorted then chuckled and shook his head. “You look comfortable. Can I curl up in there with you?” He asked playfully as he looked at the god. Loki really looked tired, almost sick even.   
"Could I have something to drink?" Loki asked. Loki had been trying for the last hour to get himself something to drink but he couldn’t seem to stay awake long enough to even think about moving.  
“Yeah. What do you want?” Tony looked at the god slightly worried now. He walked closer to Loki, noting that it wasn’t quiet as cold around him as usual.   
"Water and a lot of it." He replied.   
“All right.” Tony smiled a bit then went out and grabbed four bottles of water out of his fridge. He walked back over to Loki and handed them to the god. “Think this is enough? Or do you need more?”  
Loki shook his head taking one from him to drink down entirely. After the first bottle was gone Loki took the second and hugged it to him almost. "Thank you."   
Tony’s eyes widened slightly at how quickly Loki drank the water. He sat on the edge of the bed and put a hand to the god’s forehead.   
“Are you sure don’t need anything?”   
He nodded. "Yes." He answered. Looking up Loki stared at Tony.   
Tony looked back at the god, rubbing his thumb across Loki’s forehead gently. He realized after a moment that he was doing it and quickly pulled his hand away, a glint of fear crossing his face.   
“Okay. If you need anything just tell Jarvis, okay?” He gave Loki a tight smile then stood and headed to the door.   
Loki nodded. "Very well." Loki replied. He started to drift off to sleep again.  
Tony watched the god for a second then left the room. He looked at his hand then went to his lab. This was bad. Really bad.   
"Sir?" Jarvis asked.   
Tony was quiet a moment and went over to the bar. He poured himself a drink and sat down.   
“It’s not going away Jarvis. It’s getting worse.”  
"Things will get worse before they get better. But we do not know what is wrong with him." Jarvis pointed out.   
“And what am I supposed to do? Just sit here and let him get sick?”  
“I am sorry Sir, but it seems that is the only option you have.”   
Tony huffed upset. “Fine, I’ll ask Thor about it.”  
"You'll have to call him." Jarvis replied. "This time by phone he is in New Mexico with a Jane Foster."  
“Sounds better than that weird portal.” Tony picked up his phone. “Open up a direct line for me.”  
"Certainly, Sir." Jarvis said.   
"Friend Anthony is something wrong?"  
“Kind of, listen, Loki’s body temperature is too high for what it normally is. The weather here is messing with him pretty bad. Do you have something I can give him to help?”  
"I will go to Asgard to see what might help him. In the meantime see if you can help him into a cold bath.”  
“All right. Thanks a lot.” Tony hung up then went over to Loki’s room. He put his hand on the god’s shoulder gently. “Hey, how about you get into the bath tub and I’ll fill it with ice? Would that help you?”  
Loki grumbled as he turned over to look back at Tony. "Let me sleep."   
Tony sighed through his nose and pulled his hand away. “All right. If you feel up to it later let me know.” He walked back towards the door, feeling like an idiot.   
"Sir, I would suggest you move him manually. He needs to cool down if his temperature gets much higher we may have a much worse problem on our hands." Jarvis said.   
Tony paused then nodded and went over to Loki.   
“Jarvis, get the tub.”  
“It’s already half full Sir and I have fresh ice ready in the lab.”  
Tony heaved Loki up and carried him into the bathroom.   
“Geez, you’re heavier than you look.” Tony huffed and set Loki in the cold water.  
Loki tried to get away from him but his body felt hot and heavy. Being put into the cold water didn’t seem to faze him like it would have done to Thor. Thor would have jumped out with a shriek but Loki sank into it.   
Tony shuddered just watching Loki sit in the water.   
“I’ll be right back.” He went down to the lab and got the ice from the freezer there. He took it back up to Loki’s room and filled the rest of the tub with ice.   
“That help any?”  
He nodded. "Thank you." He replied. Loki's head lolled back against the wall his green eyes drifting shut.   
Tony smiled at the god, watching him for a moment. “Keep an eye on him Jarvis.”  
“Of course Sir. It may help to get him something cold to drink as well to help drop his internal temperature faster.”  
Tony nodded and walked into the kitchen. Sounded like a perfect time to make smoothies.


	68. Chapter 68

"Ice chips only Sir. He's not really eaten all day." He instructed.   
Tony huffed then got an idea. He poured juice into the ice-maker then chipped up the cubes when they were ready. At least this would add flavor.   
He walked over to the bathroom and grinned at the god.   
“Hey, brought you something to help you cool off.” He set the cup of fruity ice chips next to Loki.  
Opening his eyes the slightest bit of red surrounded his pupils.  
Tony noticed the red tinge to Loki’s eyes but assumed it was out of fatigue.   
“Here, give it a try. If you don’t like it I’ll get you regular ice.”  
In all truth Loki didn't want it or even regular ice for that matter.  
"Sir, Mr. Odinson is on the roof."   
Tony looked up then stood. “All right, tell him I’m heading up.” Tony looked at Loki then headed up to the roof.   
Sure enough, Thor was standing there.   
“Hey Big Guy.”  
"This is a winter stone. My father had them hidden in my brother's chambers since the day he brought him to Asgard it is why my brother was never affected by it." He explained.   
Tony stared in awe at the stones. He took them from Thor then smiled up at the thunder god.   
“Thanks for getting these.”  
Thor smiled and put a hand on Tony’s shoulder.   
“Thank you for helping my brother. Is he well?”  
“He’s hanging in there. I think he really likes it when we have missions; it’s the only time he has his magic back.”  
Thor nodded. "He has always relied on his magic. I see now how badly we mistreated him growing up. He has every right to be angry with me." Thor said.   
Tony looked at the thunder god then glanced away. “Can I ask you something about Loki?”  
"Aye." Thor nodded.   
Tony pursed his lips for a moment then spoke. “Loki’s kids…when was the last time he saw them?”  
"He's told you about his children?" Thor asked.   
“He mentioned that he has kids, but he never tells me anything about them really. He told me their names once but I don’t remember. So, how long has it been?”  
"Longer then a parent should ever go without seeing their child." Thor replied.   
Tony nodded quietly. “Is there any way we could arrange for him to see them? Or talk to them at least?”  
Thor shook his head. "It is under the All father’s orders." He said.   
Tony frowned but nodded. “Well, thanks anyway.” He smiled a bit at the god. “Better get back to Foster. Heard she doesn’t like it when you keep her waiting.” He said playfully.  
Thor nodded and left him. "Fair well." Thor said to him.   
Tony watched the god go then went back inside. He set the winter stone under Loki’s bed. Hopefully it would help. He shuddered as the temperature soon dropped and he poked his head into the bathroom to check on Loki.  
Loki hadn't moved much. He'd managed to pull off his clothes and let them float in the water.   
"Is he gone?"   
Tony smiled a bit and sat on the edge of the tub. “Yeah, he left. He brought you something though, to help with the weather here. A winter stone.”  
Loki sat up a bit and frowned. "A winter stone? Where is it?" He asked.  
“I set it on your bed. I wasn’t sure where to put it.” Tony shrugged and put his hand on the god’s forehead then hissed and quickly pulled back. He looked at his hand, his eyes widening when he saw bits of frost on his skin. “Okay, I guess you’re better now.” He started shaking a bit as the temperature in the bathroom began to drop.   
"He must have hidden them in my room." Loki replied. "I never noticed them. I wore one growing up for the longest time. It was a gift from my mother and then I lost it when I fell from the bridge." He said.   
“Well, now you have another one.” Tony smiled a bit, shaking all over. He stood, rubbing his arms. “Okay, I’m gonna go before frost builds up on my reactor again. If you need anything, just call me.”   
Loki nodded.   
A few more minutes later and Loki climbed out of the bath to climb back into his bed.   
Tony was in his lab, running a few quick scans on his reactor. Other than feeling really cold, it seemed to be just fine.   
“No frost this time Sir, though it will take a moment to warm up again.”  
“I feel like I’m freezing.”  
“It’s in your chest Sir. It is not surprising that you feel cold.”  
Tony huffed then looked at all the info from the raid. “Does Fury know who was behind all this yet?”  
“Not yet Sir, though he does have a short list of possible suspects.”   
“Oh yeah? Pull it up for me.”  
Jarvis did as he was told and brought up a short list.   
"He's not sure yet which case of action he'd like to take so in the mean time you simply have a moment to relax."  
“Relax? That’s a first.” Tony looked through the list. The usual suspects were there: Hydra, ex-Soviets, Dr. Doom, the Mandarin, King Pin. There were a few up there that SHIELD didn’t deal with quite as often, but nonetheless, there they were.  
"Might I suggest having something to eat and then a nap Sir?" Jarvis asked.   
Tony blinked and looked up towards the ceiling then back at his work. There wasn’t much he needed to do right away. And a nap did sound good.   
“All right. Has Loki eaten anything?”  
"Nothing really, Sir, he's only eaten some crackers and only a few of those."   
Tony nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. “Think I should make him something?”  
“Only if you wish to kill him Sir.”  
Tony scowled up at the ceiling, crossing his arms. “All right smart ass, then what do I do?”  
"Ask Doctor Banner to fix him something or heat him up the stew he made a few days ago."  
Tony perked up at that. Of course, there was still that stew. He headed upstairs and pulled it out of the fridge.  
“Okay, how do I do this?”  
“Place it in a glass bowl and heat it for two minutes Sir.”  
Loki had fallen asleep again and was glad for it. The room had finally leveled out and he felt a great deal better now than he had earlier.  
“Sir, before you begin heating the stew, I would like to inform you that Mr. Laufeyson is still asleep.”  
“Oh.” Tony paused then shrugged and put the stew away again. He supposed he’d wait until Loki woke up.   
"You on the other hand have not eaten all day and it would be wise for you to eat it."   
Tony scoffed but fixed himself a sandwich. He grabbed a beer then sat at the island with his small meal.   
Bruce ventured out of the room and into the kitchen. "Hey Tony."   
Tony looked over and nodded his head a bit. “You hungry? I made a sandwich.” Tony pointed to the half of the sandwich he hadn’t eaten.  
He shook his head. "I'm gonna have some of that soup Loki made.” Bruce replied. "How is he doing?"   
“He’s good, actually. Better than he was doing this morning. Thor brought him something called a winter stone; I guess it helps him cope with the weather here.”  
Bruce nodded. "He can't seem to catch a break for anything." Bruce sighed.   
Tony chuckled slightly and shook his head. “Yeah, the guy’s got it rough.”  
“Good thing he has you playing nanny though.”   
Tony looked at Bruce and scoffed. “What? I’m not playing nanny! I just don’t want him to get sick.”  
“Tony, do you remember what my favorite food is?”  
Tony pursed his lips then glanced away for a moment. “Yes. You like…lentils?”  
"What's Loki's favorite food?" Bruce asked, with a knowing smirk knowing his friend had gotten his favorite food wrong.  
Tony narrowed his eyes at the doctor, pursing his lips. “I don’t know.”  
“You’re lying.”  
“Why are we talking about this? Why does it matter what food is who’s favorite?”  
"Just answer the question Tony." Bruce said wanting to prove his point.  
Tony looked at Bruce then away, clearly getting flustered. “He likes fruit and cheese.”  
Bruce nodded. “And Pepper?”  
“What is the point of this?”  
"Answer the questions." Bruce pressed.   
“I don’t know!” Tony huffed upset, crossing his arms. “Now what’s the point of asking me these questions?”  
"You love him." Bruce stated. "You dated Pepper yet you can’t remember what her favorite food is. I've told you many times what my favorite food and Loki has even cooked it for us." Bruce pointed out. "You don't remember what we like but you remember what he likes."


	69. Chapter 69

Tony stared at Bruce wide eyed, as if this truth had just dawned on him. He glanced away and shook his head.   
“I don’t love Loki, okay? I’m just trying to help him out.”  
“What’s so bad about admitting it Tony? Right now, that’s probably the only thing that brings him any comfort is knowing that someone out of all this mess might care about him.”   
“It’s not that easy Bruce.” Tony snapped at the man, feeling his heart beat faster.   
"Love never is." Bruce replied. Bruce would know; he was a grown man and was terrified to share the bed with anyone even if for just a one night stand. "But I think if he knew that you cared about him and weren't just helping him he would be a bit happier.”  
“I already told him about my crush Bruce and…”  
“But it’s not just a crush anymore Tony. You actually have feelings for him and I think you should tell him.”  
“He doesn’t feel the same way!” Tony frowned at Bruce then looked away. “I told him that I had feelings for him and he turned me down nicely. So I’m just going to leave it at that.”  
Bruce sighed. Maybe it was for the best that they didn’t go into any sort of relationship. "Alright you win." Bruce nodded.   
Tony looked at Bruce then away and nodded. “It wouldn’t work anyway.” He finished his beer and sighed. “So, did you finish doing the weapon analysis?”  
"Almost, I needed a break.” He said. "I should have it done in another hour."   
“Whoever developed these was studying us pretty well. They know enough about us to personal information. You think we’re being followed?”  
“Seems possible.” Bruce shrugged. “Somebody studied our fight patterns and made weapons to use em against us.”  
“Jarvis, narrow down the list if you can.”  
“Already done Sir. I have thus far eliminated foreign threats as they do not tend to collect such personal information. Hydra and past adversaries remain on the list.”  
"Do pretty much anyone that has ever gone up against us can dish dirt on us and based on the pasts that I, Nat, and Clint have they could have given up the information." Bruce stated.   
Tony nodded. “It wouldn’t even have to be these people. I mean, everything I’ve ever done is public. Getting dirt on everyone else wouldn’t be that hard.” Tony frowned a bit. “But…whoever did this didn’t know about Loki. Or if they did they didn’t think they’d have to fight against him.”   
"They might not know we have Loki. He said. As far as anyone knows Loki is either dead or locked up. I doubt they would think we'd put a crazy homicidal god on our team knowing that he tried to kill us. If anything they might seek out his help eventually."   
“Which means they don’t know he’s fighting with us.” Tony bit his lips a bit in thought. “Jarvis, send this to Fury, see if it helps at all.”  
“I did already Sir. He thanks you and Dr. Banner for the information.”  
"Sir, Loki is starting to wake up again." Jarvis informed.   
“I better go check on him.” Tony moved to stand then glared. “I can feel you smirking!”  
Bruce covered his mouth but smiled still and looked away. “Go check on Loki.”  
“It’s not love Bruce!” Tony shouted back as he went upstairs to check on Loki.  
Bruce sat down at the table to finish eating.   
Tony went over to Loki’s room and knocked on the door.   
“Loki? You awake?”  
"Yes." He answered. "Come in." Loki called. He started to pull himself into a sitting position.  
Tony opened the door and walked in, laughing a bit at the sight of Loki’s bedhead. “Morning Reindeer Games. How you feeling?”  
"Is it really morning?" Loki asked.   
Tony smiled a bit and shook his head. “It’s closer to afternoon but whose keeping track?” He walked a bit closer to the god, shuddering a bit from the cold.   
"Thank you." Loki replied. "I feel a great deal better now." Loki shared.  
“Good. You hungry? Jarvis said you really haven’t anything.”  
"I'm starving." He answered. Getting up Loki stretched himself from head to toe cracking this and that.   
Tony cringed at the cracking sound and walked out of the room with Loki. “What do you want to eat?”  
"If there is any of the soup I made left I will consume that and be done with it." Loki answered.   
“All right. Bruce heated it up earlier actually. Should still be plenty left. You want some tea to…” He stopped himself mid-sentence and stood in front of the stove in slight shock. “You like tea…” He said quietly to himself.   
"I do." Loki nodded. "Is there a problem?" Loki asked.   
Tony was quiet for a moment then he turned and looked at Loki. He felt the words rush to his throat but he couldn’t speak. He opened and closed his mouth then pursed his lips and sighed quietly.   
“No, I was just umm, I was just thinking.” He gave a little smile then put some water to boil.   
"Thank you." Loki said with a frown as he studied Stark for a moment.  
Tony nodded then served Loki his tea. He set the on the island for the god then furrowed his brow, puzzled by the look on Loki’s face. “What? Is that not the one you like?”  
"No, this is fine. Is there something wrong?" He asked.   
Tony tensed slightly and shrugged, trying to play off his nerves. “No. Why would something be wrong?’ He gave a little smile.  
Loki shook his head taking the tea and the soup to his room to eat. "Thank you."   
Tony watched the god go then looked away, frowning in thought. He pursed his lips then went down to his lab.   
Bruce had been off to the side watching the two interact for a moment. When Loki left he came out of hiding. "So?"   
“Jesus!” Tony jumped then jumped and frowned at Bruce. “Are you turning into Natasha or something? Don’t do that!”  
Bruce just laughed at Tony's reaction. "Who told you to be so scary?"   
Tony scowled at Bruce and threw a dirty rag at him. “It’s not funny!” He scoffed. “What do you want?”  
"I finally proved my point." Bruce said. "You remember what he likes more than anyone else."  
“What do you want? A cookie?” Tony looked at the man exasperated then looked away. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”  
"I don't know what to tell you." He said. "I'm not you and I'm not Loki."  
“Thanks Bruce, you’re really a big help.” Tony smiled sarcastically then huffed. “At least he still thinks it’s a little crush. I just won’t say anything about it.”  
He nodded. "Good. Now I'm gonna go back to my room for a bit. The weather is making me feel lazy too."   
Tony watched Bruce go, his brow quirked. He stretched and sighed, looking around for something to do.   
“Jarvis, do I have anything to work on?”  
“Not really Sir, unless you chose to begin a new project.”  
Tony grumbled quietly then pulled out his phone.  
"Are you going to be calling for some company, Sir?" Jarvis asked.   
Tony looked towards Loki’s room and sighed quietly.   
“No, I’m going out for a bit.” He sent a text to one of the women in his phone then went to get dressed.   
"Shall I put the tower on Lockdown?"  
Tony finished getting dressed and headed towards the garage. “Yeah, go ahead. Fury’ll lose his other eye if you don’t.”   
"Shall do, Sir. Please return home safely." Jarvis said.   
Tony smiled a bit and shook his head as he got into his car. “I always come home safe Jarvis.” He headed out.   
It was a few hours before Tony came back to the tower. His shirt had the first three buttons undone and his tie hung around his neck undone.   
"Not if it's a mission." Jarvis grumbled.  
Tony rolled his eyes and went to his bar. He poured himself a drink and took a large gulp.   
“Look, I’m part of a secret peace keeping group of weirdoes Jarv. I can’t always make it back without a few bruises.”  
“Of course, Sir." Jarvis said.   
Tony looked through his phone, deleting several messages without even reading them.   
“Director Fury looked over the revised list I had sent earlier. He has stated that, for the time being, it would be best if the Avengers all avoid going out into the public eye too often.”  
Tony downed another drink and nodded. “Not like we go out much anyway. He got any ideas on who this is yet?”  
"Not yet, Sir, but he is working on it." Jarvis explained.   
“Right.” Tony ran a hand over his face then looked towards Loki’s room again. He stared at the door then poured himself another drink.  
“Sir?”  
“Yeah?”  
"Is everything alright?"   
Tony was quiet for a moment then downed his drink. “Why him? Of all the people I could have picked, it had to be the guy who is: a) not human, b) not staying and c) wanted globally for crimes against the earth.” He groaned.  
"Sir, as I said once before most of the world believes that Loki is dead." Jarvis said.   
“Oh, that’s dandy. I’ll just stop loving the guy then.” Tony smiled tight lipped and took another drink.   
“Sir?”  
“What?”   
“You said it.”   
“Said what?”   
"That you love him."


	70. Chapter 70

Tony sat quietly, tapping his fingers against the table agitated. He pursed his lips and shook his head then filled his glass.   
“It slipped out.”  
"You have no need to deny it to me, Sir I shall not judge you."   
“Why him Jarvis?” Tony asked quietly and took a swig of his drink.  
"I do not know, sir." He said.   
“You think I should tell him?” Tony finished his drink and was starting to really feel it kick in.   
“I am not sure Sir. I personally believe that Mr. Laufeyson would rather enjoying hearing such a thing. He has no one else at the moment.”  
“What if he asks to leave because he thinks I’m a creep?”  
"I think that would be the least of your worries."   
Tony ran his hands over his face and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. “Do-do you think it’ll go away after he leaves?”  
"Perhaps." Jarvis said.  
Tony nodded then yawned and shook his head’  
“Might I suggest getting some sleep Sir?”  
“Yeah, sounds good.” He got to his feet and staggered to his room.   
Loki was in his room playing a game with Jarvis when he finally asked the AI a question. "Does Stark still have feelings for me?"   
“Might I know why you are asking such a question now Mr. Laufeyson?”   
"Because he acts as strange as my idiot brother did when he began to chase after girls."  
“I am afraid this is something you must speak about with Mr. Stark. I feel it is something he would rather tell you himself.”  
Loki couldn't see himself with someone like Stark. Stark was too unpredictable and seemed like the sort to enjoy the company of others as well as the one he is with.  
“Do Mr. Stark’s feelings bother you, Mr. Laufeyson?”  
"No." Loki replied.   
“Mr. Stark is in love with you.”  
"It wouldn't end well for us. We would get in trouble.” Loki said.   
“Clearly you do not know Mr. Stark too well. If there is any risk involved, it only incentivizes him to try harder. However, since you do not share his feelings, there is no need to think of those risks.”  
Loki hummed at this. "Alright." He said.   
“Please do not tell Mr. Stark that I told you this.”  
Tony couldn’t sleep well that night. His mind was buzzing with a thousand things at once and he kept jolting awake.  
"I shan't." He said.   
“Thank you Mr. Laufeyson.”   
"You're welcome Jarvis."  
Jarvis adjusted the temperature in Loki’s room and put on a movie at the god’s request.   
Tony finally gave up on sleep. He lay on his bed upset, his mind reeling with purely stupid things.   
Loki still wondered about Stark's feelings months later. He found himself wanting to return the inventors feelings.  
"Mr. Laufeyson be prepared there is an emergency." Jarvis informed.  
Tony was already getting into his suit. Seems that whoever had been building weapons against them still had a few more tricks up their sleeves. He dawned one of his newer suits since it used a different energy channel. At least this way, those guns wouldn’t have much effect.   
“Keep Laufeyson out of sight Stark. Whoever this is, they don’t know he’s on our team or that he’s alive. I want to keep that last card in our deck.”  
“Gotcha.” Tony walked out onto the landing then looked back at Loki. “I’ll call you in case of anything, but keep yourself hidden.”  
"No, I'm going with you now. I still have the cloaking device you gave me I will not be seen." Loki stated.  
"There's is no time to argue please make a choice in what you're doing." Jarvis said.  
Tony growled but grabbed the god and flew off. “You keep that thing at all times, got it? Nobody knows you’re alive and we need that advantage.” Tony flew to a small town some ways out. According to their intel, it had been taken over quite some time ago and seemed to be the base of operations for their adversary.   
Tony landed some ways away along with the others and flipped open his visor.   
“What’s our plan here?”  
“We’re pretty closed off.” Steve showed everyone a man of the area. “There’s a river that way and a couple abandoned farms.”  
Loki applied the cloaking device to hide himself. It means the others wouldnt know he was there either. If worse comes to worse Loki could always transform himself and the enemy wouldn't know who he was still.  
“How do we go in?”  
“They’ve got weapons. From what we can tell, they kept building off the plans they had before so we need to be smart about this. Know your weakness and be ready for them to hit you with it.”  
Everyone nodded then went out, splitting up but staying close in case of anything. Tony swooped in ahead of the others, easily taking out a few guards.   
"I have an idea, Stark but you have to get me in as close as possible." Loki said. He knew exactly what he could use that would help them.  
“What’s your plan?” Tony spoke into his ear piece then backed away from the building to look for Loki.   
The others stormed in cautiously, using a few new toys of their own. This was hard though; their enemy really knew what they were doing.   
"Get me as close as you can and just stand back." Loki replied. When Tony finally dropped Loki off on the roof he smiled as he worked on the spell he needed to use.  
Tony watched the god work but moved away. He didn’t want Loki to get hit by a missed shot. He kept the guards back, but it seemed they’d really done their homework. He got hit twice by one of their guns and the energy of his suit suddenly dropped to fifty percent.   
“Jarvis!”  
“I’m sorry Sir, but it seems they’ve shot a scrambler onto the back of the suit. I cannot-“ Jarvis was suddenly cut out and the suit began to beep and falter. Tony tried to keep control and tried to take himself down to the ground safely only to be hit again.   
“Shit!”  
Steve ducked behind a wall, panting. He tried to think of a strategy, anything to past the guards. They were using tranquilizers on him; clever. So far he’d avoided getting hit, but he was starting to get tired.   
Screams could be heard inside as the enemy started to freak out as large shadow like creatures were see attacking them.  
"Hey I don't know what's going on but something is attacking them." Clint said.  
"They look like shadows. I can see through them." Natasha added.   
Clint watched and fear begin to pool in his stomach when he caught a glimpse of the shadows. Clearly they were helping, but what in the world were they?  
“Stark, are those Loki’s?” There was no reply. Clint frowned. “Stark!”  
Tony had gone down in the water when part of the building collapsed. His suit was losing power so quickly and the creeping darkness was making him panic.   
“Jarvis!”  
“S-Sir…I…connect….fail…” The AI’s voice was broken and muffled as it spoke. Tony tried to push off the rubble, but it was hard without the suit’s help.   
Steve finally pushed past the men he’d been fighting and got into another area of the building. “I’m in.” He said into his ear piece.   
Clint looked at Natasha. "I’m going to assume they are Loki's and that they're good just try to avoid them." Clint said.   
"Help...Stark." Jarvis managed to transmit to Loki.  
Hearing the broken message Loki saw the flashing and fading light of Stark's suit. Breaking his concentration on the shadows Loki went to save Stark and the shadows disappeared.  
Steve radioed out to the others as he made his way deeper into the building.   
“I need back up!”  
Natasha and Clint both nodded and headed in. It was easier now that all their enemies were cowering in fear of the shadows.   
“Where are you Steve?”  
“North side of the building heading to the center!”  
Tony was shaking all over, his breathing erratic. He tried again to push his way out from under the rubble but it wouldn’t budge. His suit didn’t have enough power to function well and keep him alive at the same time.   
“Somebody…somebody help me…!” He gasped out, unable to see anything but darkness all around.   
Using a different spell Loki dive in swimming as fast as he could to reach Stark. He could hear the muffled voice of the trapped man. Loki moved the rubble himself using little magic to do so.  
Tony saw the rubble move, but his mind was starting to mess with him. He’d used up almost all the oxygen in his suit and was starting to get lightheaded. He couldn’t really see Loki well through the darkness of the water. When something grabbed him, he panicked more and began to pull away, thinking it was the Chitauri.   
“Loki! Loki, help me!” He cried out for the god but struggled still.


	71. Chapter 71

Natasha took out one last guard then got into the security system on the computers. She shut everything down and extra SHIELD agents went in to arrest anyone they found.   
Loki grabbed him as best he could to pull him towards the surface. He found the suit to be an equally heavy challenge.  
Tony’s suit was quickly losing power. His reactor was the power source of the suit, not to mention the only thing keeping him alive. The light of reactor was fading out and Tony was still hyperventilating.   
“Loki, Loki…!” Tony groped around, reaching for the god frantically. His mask flipped off. “I can’t breathe…!”  
Loki swam a bit quicker to pull stark to the surface. Reaching it Loki held stark so he could breathe.   
"You're safe now."  
Tony coughed up some water, shaking badly and trying to focus on his breathing. He shook his head then flopped onto his side.   
“There’s-there’s a thing on my suit.” He looked up at Loki, panic in his eyes. “Get it off…!”  
Loki didn't know what he was meant to be tearing at and simply started to tear the suit apart instead.  
Tony quickly reached out and clung to Loki, shaking badly. He closed his eyes, his fingers digging into the god’s arms.   
“I can’t breathe…” His lips were starting to get blue from the lack of proper oxygen.   
“Hey, anybody find Stark yet?” Clint spoke into his earpiece. He hadn’t heard anything from the man during the fight.  
Loki snatched off Tony's mask.  
"Breathe." Loki ordered. "In and out with me.” Loki said. "Relax and breathe. In and out, in and out. That’s it." Loki smiled.  
Tony took a shaky breath and followed along with Loki’s breathing. It was hard at first; his chest was heaving and his heart was pounding hard. Slowly, his breathing got back into rhythm. He still clung to Loki tightly, shaking from the cold now more than fear.  
Loki connected to Steve.   
"I have Stark." He said. "Where are you?"   
“We’re inside getting all the weapons secure. What happened?”  
Tony’s breathing had finally started to level out, though the glow of his reactor was still weaker than usual.   
"Stark got trapped under some debris under water. I got him back safely."   
“Is he all right?” Steve asked as they walked out of the building. The SHIELD agents flooded the building.   
Tony rested his head against Loki’s shoulder, his eyes drooping shut.   
“Can we leave? I don’t feel good and I have to fix my suit.”  
“He's half drowned and the suit has no power. Can you handle it from here?" Loki asked. Stark was in no condition to handle anything on his own at this point.  
“We got it here, you get him back to the tower.” Steve replied to Loki then walked out of the building and saw them down by the water.   
Tony looked at Loki as he felt the god start to move.   
“Are we leaving now?”  
"Yes." Loki replied. "Thank you." Loki told them before disappearing from sight. Loki put them back on the tower but before his powers left him once more. Sighing, he stripped Stark out of the suit before picking him up bridle style.  
Tony hung onto Loki still, his breathing a bit shaky. A suit quickly came up to them and Jarvis greeted them.   
“I am so sorry Sir. Mr. Laufeyson, please take Mr. Stark to the medical lab immediately. His arc reactor must be replaced.”  
Loki did as Jarvis said, carrying Tony down to the med bay.  
“You will need to put an oxygen mask on him Mr. Laufeyson. It is there beside the bed.” Jarvis took control of a suit and sent it over to Tony’s side. “Sir, I will need you to relax and let go of Mr. Laufeyson while I attach these nodes to your chest.”  
Tony was shaking still and he glared at the machine, clinging onto Loki tightly.   
“No.” He saw flashes of the wormhole and shook his head.  
Loki forced Stark to let him go and put the mask on him.   
"Now is not the time to panic. I need you to focus on me here and now." he said.  
Tony looked at Loki, afraid to let go but nodded and released his hold slowly. He lay back on the bed then his eyes started to droop.   
“Jarvis?”  
“I am sorry Sir, but your heart rate is too elevated for me to remove your reactor without hurting you. I had to sedate you.”  
Tony fought to stay awake but relaxed back into the bed as he passed out.  
Loki watched Tony fall asleep.   
"Will he be alright?" Loki asked Jarvis.  
“He will be much better once his reactor has been replaced.” Jarvis picked up one of Tony’s spares and removed the one currently in his chest. The machines attached to the inventor began to beep and Jarvis took the new reactor and placed it into Tony’s chest.   
“Thank you for helping him, Mr. Laufeyson.”   
Loki nodded.   
"You're welcome." he said. "Should I move him to his room?" Loki asked.  
“I would prefer to keep him here for the night. He does not like having any other machines in his room and I would like to keep him sleeping peacefully while I can.” The suit looked at Loki then back at Tony. “It may seem silly, but I am always afraid he will not return alive.”  
Tony slept softly, his new reactor glowing bright and steady in his chest.  
"I'm going to change my clothes and get a book. I will return shortly." Loki promised.  
Loki returned half an hour later in pajamas with a book in hand.   
The suit stood next to Tony’s bed, but the eyes were no longer glowing. Tony slept still, though now he was curled up to his pillow with his mouth hanging slightly open. He was breathing well on his own, so Jarvis removed the oxygen mask.   
Loki settled in one of the arm chairs and got comfortable.  
“There are other beds you could use should you chose to sleep here Mr. Laufeyson.” Jarvis pointed out to the god.   
"I'll stay in the room with him." Loki replied.  
“That is very good of you Mr. Laufeyson. I am sure he will sleep better knowing you are in the room.”   
Tony mumbled quietly as he slept, but seemed to sleep fine otherwise. No dreams, no panic attacks.   
Loki stayed up most of the night watching Stark sleep before finally falling asleep himself.  
When Tony woke up the next morning, it took him a moment to remember where he was. He frowned curiously, tensing before he noticed Loki asleep next to him. He stared at the sleeping god and let his head fall back against the pillow.  
"Good morning, Sir. I am glad to see you are doing well." Jarvis said.  
Tony nodded, watching Loki then sat up.   
“I feel like I’m going to puke.”  
“Your body is still adjusting to the new reactor Sir.”  
Tony made a face and shook his head.   
“He sleep here all night?”  
“Yes Sir. I told him a few times during the night that I could watch over you, but he insisted.”   
Tony looked up at the ceiling then back at Loki.   
Loki shift and moved in his seat. He groaned from the soreness in his back from the chair.   
"Ow." He breathed through his nose.  
Tony couldn’t help but smile a bit. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed.   
“You know, you could have slept on one of the other beds.” He got off the bed and went to get a heating patch for the god’s back.   
"Are you sure you should be up and moving right now?" Loki asked.  
“I’ll be okay. You’re the one that’s going to be in pain for a couple days for sleeping like that.” Tony smiled at Loki the handed him the heat patch. “Here, lift your shirt.”  
Loki raised his shirt a bit for Tony to place the patch on it.   
"I gave birth to three children; this is hardly anything." Loki replied.   
Tony smiled and shook his head.   
“I won’t ask since you don’t wanna talk about it, but I don’t think guys can give birth.”   
"Well I can under the right circumstances."   
Tony looked at Loki curiously.   
“And what are the right circumstances?”  
"When I'm able to shape shift." Loki answered.   
Tony grinned slowly then finished putting the heating patch on Loki’s back.   
“So, you can turn into a woman?” Tony sat down and looked at the god impressed. “Do you turn into a good looking woman or do you look weird?”  
Loki smirked. "I'm going to let you ponder what I may look like as a female."   
“No one likes a tease.” Tony said to the god then looked at him thoughtfully. “Dark hair’s a given. Pale skin, pouty lips.”   
Loki smiled.   
"You wouldn't be able to handle my female form. I'm just as dangerous and cunning." Loki smiled. "And what's better I can distract you easier."  
Tony smiled back playfully.   
“Hey, I can handle getting distracted as long as I like the distraction. And we still haven’t established if I’d even like your female form, remember?”  
"You'll do more than like it Stark." He said. "Far more than like it."   
Tony raised brow at Loki questioningly. “Oh yeah? How do you know?”  
"Because even my brother could not help but fall for my form." He smiled.   
“I didn’t need to know that.” Tony looked at the god then gave a little smile. “When you get your powers back, I wanna see it.”


	72. Chapter 72

"Fandral has bedded many maidens. Even he could not resist a dark haired such as me." Loki smiled. "He was shocked when I turned him down."   
“This Fandral guy sounds like the me of your world.” Tony said jokingly. “Well, I already think you’re pretty hot, so I guess female you can’t be that bad.”  
"You have no idea." Loki left stark where he was in favor of the kitchen wanting something to eat.  
Tony watched the god, staring at Loki’s ass before he chuckled and shook his head.   
“He really slept here all night?”  
“Yes Sir. He seemed quite keen on watching over you.”  
"He carried you all the way back home and down to the med bay." Jarvis explained. "Even offered to carry you to your bedroom."   
Tony felt a flutter in his chest but tried not to get his hopes up. He smiled a bit to himself.   
“Well that was nice. How my other reactor?”  
“It took quite a battering Sir. Had it not been for your recent upgrades, you could have died.”  
“All right, show me the damage and I’ll fix it.”  
"I'm awakening the lab now, Sir." Jarvis informed him.   
Tony smiled as he headed into his lab and the entire room hummed quietly with life. “Hi Darling.”  
Dum-E and Butterfingers both rushed over, beeping excitedly.   
“All right you two, calm down. I’m fine.”  
"You'll have to make another spare." Jarvis instructed. "In case you cannot repair this one as it once was."   
Tony hummed in response, looking at the damage to his reactor. “I’d better just build two new ones instead. This one’s dead.”  
"Bringing up the blue prints now, Sir."   
Tony nodded and looked the plans over, tapping his fingers a bit. “All right, let’s add in an emergency mechanism. I want the suit to cut its line to my reactor if something like this ever happens again.”  
“Right away Sir.”  
“And let’s go ahead and put an energy store in the suits.”  
"Should we perhaps make the energy store larger and able to hold more?" He asked.   
“Yeah, let’s see how it would fit in with the original design of the suit.” Tony pulled up the plans and made the adjustments. “Implement changes.”   
"Already under way Sir. Doctor Banner is on his way down to see you along with Captain Rogers."   
“All right. Just let em in when they get here.” Tony got to work on his new reactors, setting aside the plans for his suit changes.   
"Why are you up and out of bed, you should be sleeping and resting." Bruce frowned.   
"Even Loki is smart enough to get some rest."  
Tony just grinned at the man and shrugged. “I’m fine. When I start feeling sick again I’ll lie down.”  
"You scared us not as much as Loki did but please don't do that anymore." Steve said.  
“We’re all going to get hurt sometimes. Occupational hazard. And what happened to Loki?”  
“Well, nothing happened to him, per say, but he had these things, shadows there while we were fighting off the guards.”  
“Shadows?”  
"Creepiest thing you've ever seen Tony. They moved like you me or even Bruce would but they modeled after Loki's fighting skills. They didn't disappear. You could see through them. You shot at them and they didn't budge." Steve explained.  
Tony shook his head at the thought of the shadows. “Good thing they were on our side then.”  
“Yeah, no kidding. How’s your reactor?”   
“Completely fried. Whatever scrambled they attached to my suit, it did the trick. Thankfully Jarvis shut everything down before it killed me.”   
“Is that what you’re working on now?”  
“Yep. Building two new ones and upgrading my suit energy store.”  
He nodded. "Okay." Bruce said. "So will be you alright?" he asked.  
Tony looked at his friend and smiled. “I’m always all right. I’m Tony Stark, remember? I never get into trouble.”   
Bruce couldn’t help but chuckle at that statement and he shook his head.   
"Trouble is your middle name." Bruce replied.   
"I thought his middle name was Edward." Steve commented.  
Tony gave them both a tight smile then looked away. “I don’t like either of you right now.”  
"You love us.” Bruce replied.  
“Uhh, no.” Tony looked at Bruce and Steve then went back to working on his reactor. Steve watched, slightly amazed.   
“It’s that easy, huh?”  
“Well, for me it is.”  
"I bet your dad would have been proud to see you harness something like this and repeat it."  
Tony simply shook his head. “Clearly you didn’t know my father that well.”  
Steve frowned at this. He’d only ever known Howard as a friend; he’d never seen what kind of father the man was.   
“How can you say something like that?”  
“Look Rogers, I get that he was your best friend but he wasn’t mine.”  
"Calm down Tony. No need to get worked up okay?" Bruce said. Bruce looked at Steve mouthing 'I'll explain later.'  
The super soldier sighed and nodded.   
Tony glanced at the two then got back to work on his reactor.   
“How’s Loki, by the way?”  
“He’s fine. Probably in a little pain; he slept in a chair.”  
"He's sleeping right now." Jarvis informed. "He asked me to warm up his room and then cool it if his body temperature started to get to high." Jarvis explained.  
“Is he adjusting okay?”  
“Thor got him something called a winter stone. I guess it helps him to maintain a good internal body temperature.”  
"Was there a reason he needed it?" Steve asked.  
“It’s too hot here for him.”   
Bruce nodded. “That would make sense. He’s a frost giant, right? He’s probably need freezing temperatures to survive well.”  
Steve looked at them slightly surprised. He hadn’t really taken that into consideration.   
“That would explain why Fury kept Loki’s cell at eighty degrees all the time.”  
“Trying to overheat him.” Tony scowled and shook his head.   
Bruce frowned. "He could have killed him. Loki could have very well suffered from a heat stroke."   
"Sirs, I would remind you that it is no point in getting worked up about it now. It's done and over with." Jarvis reminded them.  
“Loki’s not there anymore, he’s here. And as long as I can, I’m going to keep him safe.”  
“You’re not as selfish as I thought you were.” Steve said as he looked at Tony. “You take good care of the guy.”  
“He doesn’t deserve what they did to him. I’m just trying to make it right.”  
"No, that's not just it. You really do care. I thought you were self-centered and selfish." he said. "I'm sorry, I was wrong." He said.   
Tony looked at Steve slightly surprised. He shrugged then looked away. “I can be nice if I want.”  
“Which isn’t very often.” Bruce added in as a joke.   
Tony gave Bruce a tight lipped smile.   
"Then why were you such a jerk in the beginning?" Steve asked. "I heard from Natasha how much of your money you give to people and charities."   
“It’s just what I do Rogers.” Tony looked at the soldier. “People can’t hurt you if you don’t let them get close, right?”  
Steve realized that part of that being said was from how Stark ended up becoming Ironman.   
Tony finished most of the first reactor then got the layouts for the second one started.   
“You’re still a jerk though.”  
Tony grinned smugly and shrugged. “It’s what I’m good for.”  
"We'll see you later Tony." Steve said.   
"Please take it easy." Bruce reminded him as they left.  
“I will, I will.” Tony watched the men go then went back to working on his reactors.   
He went upstairs to take a nap sometime later.   
"So what did Tony tell you about Howard as a father?"  
Bruce looked at Steve then away. “He doesn’t really like talking about the guy much, but from what he’s told me, he wasn’t really father of the year.”  
“I can’t believe that. Howard was a great guy when I knew him.”  
"Well he wasn't as great to Tony. Remember when you two met and he said, 'So this is the great man my father went on and on about.'" Bruce asked. "Tony said Howard never let him forget about it. Tony use to consider you his hero until his father almost started rubbing it in his face that you were great. Howard never told Tony how great he was."   
Steve nodded and sighed quietly, feeling guilty about it. “Guess it wasn’t that easy on him then.”  
Bruce shook his head. “Howard wasn’t the greatest parent, but Maria was. Tony can talk for hours about his mom.”   
"When I went missing Howard wasn't married."   
“He got married later on. I didn’t know them personally; when I met Tony, his parents had already died.”


	73. Chapter 73

"Yeah. He was like fifteen when they died right?" Steve asked remembering reading the artificial.  
Bruce nodded. “He was still pretty young when it happened. He goes to visit their graves still.” Bruce looked at Steve. “He’s not that bad you know. Tony’s just learned the hard way that when he lets people in, they have the power to hurt him.”  
Steve nodded understanding Tony a bit more.   
“Pepper knows him a lot better than even I do. She’s been around Tony the longest.”   
"No I know enough. Tony isn't Howard and now I feel bad for throwing that one in his face."   
“He really doesn’t like being compared to his dad. If there’s one thing you can do to instantly piss Tony off, it’s mention Howard.”  
“Wish you’d told me that sooner.”  
Bruce chuckled a bit and shook his head. “Well you weren’t really trying to be Tony’s best friend at the time.”  
"Don't rub it in." Steve said.   
Bruce smiled and put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. He knows that it isn’t your fault. Howard just wasn’t the greatest father is all.”  
Steve nodded as they headed out the door.   
Loki woke up around midafternoon with a yawn.   
"Good afternoon Mr. Laufeyson. It is three twenty eight."   
Tony was still asleep on the couch. It felt good to get the pressure off his chest.   
Loki chuckled at the sleeping man. Shaking his head Loki set to making himself something to eat.   
Tony turned on his side and snuggled up under his blanket.  
Deciding he wanted to mess with him Loki tickled Stark's nose.  
Tony wrinkled his nose and buried his face into the blankets, curling up tighter.   
"Sir, that's not right." Jarvis said.   
"I know it isn’t but it's funny." Loki replied.   
Tony grumbled as he slept, snuggling further under the blankets. He sighed then stretched and opened his eyes, frowning.   
“What’s going on?”  
Loki ducked behind the couch before Stark could see him. He crawled into the kitchen and stood up. "I see you're awake." He said. "Hungry?" he asked.   
Tony blinked confused and looked around puzzled before sitting up and running his hands over his face.   
“Umm, yeah I think so.” He wrinkled his nose a bit and shook his head.   
"Something wrong?" Loki asked.   
Tony rubbed his nose and shook his head. “No. Just had a weird dream is all.” He stretched and stood, walking over to the kitchen.  
"Do you want to talk about it?" Loki asked.   
“The dream?” Tony looked at Loki slightly puzzled then shrugged. “I dreamt I was with someone and we’re making out then she started tickling my nose for some stupid reason.” He frowned, puzzled by this.   
Loki started laughing. "All beauty and not very much brain?" Loki teased.  
Tony gave the god a tight little smile. “It’s not funny. Think I might have been dreaming about your female form though, or whatever my brain thinks that looks like.”  
Loki chuckled at him. "Was she beautiful enough for you?"   
Tony shrugged disappointed. “I couldn’t really see her face, but she had your smile.” He looked at the god and smiled playfully. “You know the one. That little teasing smile you give me sometimes.”  
Loki gave him the smile that Tony was talking about.  
“Yeah, that one.” Tony looked at the god’s lips and smiled to himself before shaking his head. “You were about kiss me too. Then my nose started to itch.” He frowned.  
"Hey I was never about to kiss you. I had nothing to do with that dream. You should stop thinking about how to get me into your bed."   
Tony gave Loki a mischievous grin. “Oh Reindeer Games, you can’t stop me from trying and you really can’t stop me from thinking about it.” He winked at the god. “So, what are we eating?”  
"Sandwiches." He answered. "I don't feel like cooking today."  
“Sandwiches sound good. Want any help making them?”  
Loki shook his head. "No, thank you. Is doctor Banner in the tower I'll make one for him as well."  
“Bruce? I don’t think so. I think he had something in Africa. Vaccinations or something like that.”   
“Dr. Banner has gone out for lunch with Captain Rogers Sir.”  
“Oh.”  
Loki started laughing. "Besides yourself and me do you keep track of anything?" Loki asked.   
Tony looked at Loki and blushed a bit, huffing. “I do! I just…don’t have time to remember where everybody is. Besides, I’m already babysitting you.”  
"Seems to be the other way around." Loki replied. If Loki didn’t remind Stark that he needed to eat Jarvis would have a harder time of it.   
Tony rolled his eyes. “I can take care of myself. I just get busy sometimes.” He shrugged then gave a cheeky smile and got some juice out of the fridge.  
"Whatever you say." He said.   
Tony pouted at the god and drank his juice. He watched Loki make the sandwiches then grabbed one.  
"Could you grab me a bottle of water from the fridge please?" Loki asked. He set about re wrapping all the meat and cheese to put it back in the fridge.  
Tony didn’t fuss as he usually did. He just reached into the fridge and handed Loki the bottle of water.   
“That was very nice of you Sir.”  
“Hmm? What?” Tony blinked curiously.   
“You didn’t whine when Mr. Laufeyson asked you for some water.”  
Tony stood there dumb struck for a moment then turned red in the face.   
Loki smiled as he put everything away for the night. "Thank you Stark."  
Tony huffed and looked away from the god, his cheeks still red. He took a large bite out of his sandwich.  
Loki smiled as he headed off to his room to continue with the movie he'd been watching when he woke up.  
Tony watched the god go and smiled a bit to himself.   
“Sir.”  
“Don’t. I don’t want to hear anything about it. We all know I like Loki so let’s stop beating that horse.”   
“I was simply going to compliment you Sir. It is rather refreshing to see you being so polite for once. You usually fuss so much when people hand things to you.”  
Tony frowned puzzled then his eyes widened. He looked at the sandwich in front of him.  
“Holy shit.”  
“I am quite surprised you did not realize this sooner. Mr. Laufeyson has handed you several things on different occasions.”  
Tony thought about it for a moment as he sat there. “Really?”  
"Yes." Jarvis replied. "The first time he made omelets he handed the first successful one to you." He said. "On another occasion he handed you your tools while you were working in the lab and he watched."  
“Pepper hands me things.”  
“And who else Sir?”  
Tony huffed, pursing his lips a bit. “Well, I feel safe with the guy.”  
“That’s very cute Sir.”  
Tony scowled and his face went red again.   
Jarvis shut up for a while as not to be told off by his creator. He stayed quiet until Director Fury called him.  
"Hey Stark I've given it some thought and Loki's been decent on missions the last few months. I'm giving him a short leash. He's allowed out of the tower but only as far as a five mile radius with one normal clothed Shield Agent to follow." He explained.   
Tony’s eyes widened, not believing it for a moment. “All right, he’ll like hearing that.”  
“It’s not a free-for-all permission slip Stark. You still have to monitor him and agents will be following.”  
“Hey, it’s better than being stuck here.”  
"Yeah whatever. It still comes with a warning. If he screws up he's back to the tower till I say otherwise."   
“I got it, I got it.” Tony rolled his eyes. “How’s the man-hunt going?”  
“We’ve got it narrowed down. You’re gonna love this. Seems like Dr. Osborn might be behind this one.”  
“Norman?” Tony groaned. “I thought he was still in prison?”  
“Right, cause he never breaks out, right?”   
Tony grumbled. “How did you figure it was him?”  
"We got a few traces back to his last know location." He said. "He was busted out last time he was removed from Prison for a higher security one.” Fury explained.   
“You don’t know where he’s at yet?”  
“Not yet, but we’ve got a general location. He’s been moving around a lot, so we have to be careful.”  
“You want me to help track him?”  
"Not yet." He said. "We'll handle it from here but we might need you to help smoke him out. I know he's a friend of yours but Stark he's unstable."   
“Yeah, I know.” Tony sighed. “I’ll handle it if you need help getting him.”   
“We’ve been tracking where else he’s got some hide outs. So far I’ve been able to close them down with a few agents.”   
“You don’t want all of us going after him?”  
“Not yet. So far he hasn’t done anything big enough for me to call the Avengers all together.”  
All right.”  
"Stark you need to understand that he's not the same man you knew. He's dangerous."   
“I know that Fury.” Tony snapped back at the director. “I can handle it.”  
“I hope so. I’ve got enough to worry about with you being buddy-buddy with Loki as is.”  
“Keep Jarvis posted on what you find out. I’ll be ready in case of anything.”  
"Fine." He said to him.   
“Thanks.” Tony groaned when Fury hung up. How could he forget about Norman? The man was absolutely nuts. He ran his hands over his face and sighed.


	74. Chapter 74

Loki was still in his room with a sigh. "Jarvis could we order a few more books?" He asked.  
“Certainly Mr. Laufeyson. Also, it might be worth mentioning that Director Fury has just given you permission to leave the tower. You may now go within a five mile radius of the tower so long as Mr. Stark is with you.”  
Tony was sitting at the island, looking through some things on his phone.   
“Jarvis, I think I need a new suit.”  
“Oh dear.”  
“No seriously, look at this one. Black fabric threaded with red to make it look like it changes color.”  
"Shall I make an appointment with your tailor?" Jarvis asked.   
“Yeah, go ahead. Get me some nice fabric too. See if you can’t get some with a few gold details in it.” Tony grinned then blinked when Loki suddenly came out of his room. “Oh hey, what’s up?”  
“I’ve just informed him that he has permission to leave the tower Sir.”  
"I'd like to go get my own books." He said. "I'm allowed out of the tower as long as I have you by my side."   
“Okay. Umm, Jarvis get me a list of libraries around the tower.”  
“I found three book stores within Mr. Laufeyson’s permitted range.” Jarvis showed them the maps and put them on Tony’s phone.   
“Well get your shoes and we’ll go.” Tony smiled at the god then slipped on his shoes.   
Loki trotted off to his room for a jacket and his shoes so they could head out.  
Tony headed out with the god and a few SHIELD agents quickly joined in.   
“Were you briefed on procedure?”  
“Yeah, Fury told me all about it. Hey, you guys want a hot dog?”  
The agents frowned disapprovingly at Tony’s joke and got into position. Tony shrugged and started walking with Loki towards the book shop.  
When they reached the book store Loki started to wonder around the store finding books he wanted to bring back.  
Tony glanced around but wasn’t exactly keen on any of the books he saw. He always associated classical literature with that strict English tutor he had growing up. He did watch Loki though; the god looked like a kid in a toy store.  
By the end of an hour Loki had a basket of twelve books and another four in his hand.  
Tony caught a glimpse of the books and smiled when he saw the fables. “Aw, are you going to read those to me?” He gave a pouty smile.   
"I can if you like. I use to read to Thor." He said.   
Tony blinked curiously. “Seriously? Okay.” He hadn’t been read to since he was a child, and even then it was only a few times when his mother had the chance.  
"I'm ready to check out if you're ready to go."   
Tony nodded and went to the register with Loki. He paid for the books and the woman gave them a bag to carry all the books out.   
“Anywhere else you want to go?”  
Loki shook his head. "No, thank you."   
Tony looked at Loki with a playful little smile. “Got enough books there?”  
"Fifteen in total." He replied, having snatched another one up from the shelf as they went to the register.   
Tony shook his head and they left after paying for each book Loki grabbed. Tony glanced up at the sky and pulled up his hood.   
“I’d offer to carry one of those bags but those books look heavy.”  
"They are not." Loki replied. "I didn't feel like it was heavy."  
“I’m sure those are light to you.” Tony sighed quietly as they walked back to the tower. It started to rain just as they got inside.   
“So, you gonna read to me tonight?” Tony smiled at the god.   
"I see no reason why not." Loki replied.   
Tony chuckled in his throat and shook his head then got some coffee started.   
It was storming quite hard that night. Tony felt himself getting a little anxious, though ever since Loki had helped him that night, he handled storms much better. He sat on his bed then looked up when Loki walked in with a book.   
“Hey.”  
"You asked me to read to you." Loki replied. "This one is called the red necklace." He said.   
Tony perked up and made room for Loki on the bed, eager to hear this. “All right, let’s hear it.” He said with a little smile. “Are you going to change your voice as you read it?”  
"Don't get happy." Loki replied. Loki settled in on the bed with a Tony.  
“Right sorry.” Tony frowned childishly at the god and got comfortable.   
Loki sighed as he settled in and started to read the book. He did end up making voices for the characters.   
Tony found it rather amusing at first, but soon got lost listening to Loki read. He didn’t even know what in the world was going on in the story. He leaned his head a bit closer to Loki and sighed quietly.   
When Loki started to yawn a bit he closed the book. "We'll finish tomorrow." He said.   
Tony had fallen asleep against the god’s shoulder as he was reading. He mumbled quietly, curling up before waking.   
“Hmm? What happened?”  
"Time for bed." He said. Loki climbed off the bed and stretched himself from head to toe.  
Tony yawned and stretched out on the bed. He nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, guess you’re right.”  
"Good night Stark." Loki said as he headed for his room.  
Getting into his room Loki stripped down and had Jarvis turn on a movie he could nod off to.  
“Night.” Tony fell asleep again soon after that and dreamed the entire night that Loki was reading to him again.   
Loki settled in bed.   
"That was a very nice thing you did for Mr. Stark. He's gone straight to bed instead of to his lab." Jarvis said. "I think hearing your voice seems to sooth him at night." Jarvis stated.   
Tony slept so peacefully that night. It had been too long since he’d had a night without bad dreams.   
Loki drifted off to sleep after a while. He thought of his mother's voice which helped keep the nightmares away. But the longer he was away from her the more he was forgetting what it sound like.  
Tony slept well into the next morning. He was snuggled up to his pillow, a bit of drool on his cheek.   
Pepper let herself into the tower, carrying in a few bags of food from her favorite restaurant. She thought maybe Loki would like to give it a try. She set the bags down.   
“Good morning Ms. Potts.”  
“Morning Jarvis. Where’s Tony?”  
“Asleep still.”  
"Loki?"  
"Asleep as well. Mr. Laufeyson read to Mr. Stark last night and he went to sleep soon after. No nightmares." he said.  
Pepper stood there shocked. Loki had read to Tony last night? She shook her head a bit and put the food in the fridge.   
“Well, when they wake up be sure to tell them I brought some food.”  
“Certainly Ms. Potts, and thank you for the gesture.”  
"You're welcome Jarvis." she smiled.   
"Tell them to have a good day." she said.  
“I will Ms. Potts. Have a pleasant day.”   
Pepper nodded then left. Hopefully they’d like the food.   
It was some time before Tony woke up. He groaned and looked around frowning, his hair a mess and dry spit on his cheek.   
“Good afternoon Sir.”  
“Hnn?”  
"I said good afternoon." Jarvis repeated.   
Tony frowned confused. “Did I sleep the whole night?”  
“Yes Sir. I was quite pleased.”  
Tony yawned and stretched, feeling oddly refreshed.   
"Ms. Potts was here this morning. I told her you were sleeping. She also brought food for you and Mr. Laufeyson."   
“Oh yeah? From where?” Tony pulled off his shirt; it was rather sweaty. He tossed it aside and pulled out a fresh one.   
“Decker’s.”  
“I like that place.” Tony smiled a bit and headed to the kitchen. “Loki still asleep?”  
"No Sir, he's having a shower." Jarvis replied.   
“All right. He sleep okay?”  
“Yes, quite well Sir.”  
Tony nodded. “How’s his body temperature?”  
“It has finally stabilized Sir.”  
“That’s good. Guess that winter rock is working.”   
Loki climbed out of the bath wrapping a towel around himself. "Jarvis what's there to eat in the kitchen?" He asked.   
“Ms. Potts stopped by this morning and brought some food from a restaurant. Mr. Stark is warming it up now.”  
Tony hummed to himself as he made some coffee and waited for the food to warm up.   
Loki nodded. "Okay." he replied. Getting out of the shower he dried off and dressed.


	75. Chapter 75

Tony was eating some of the pasta Pepper had brought. It had been a long time since he’d been to that restaurant, he’d almost forgotten how good it was.   
"I hope you saved some for me." Loki smiled coming out to the kitchen.  
Tony looked at the god and smiled back. “There’s still plenty left. Here, you have to try this.” He nudged the bowl towards Loki.  
"I'll try some out of my own bowl thank you." He said.   
Tony rolled his eyes and kept eating. “It’s really good. Oh, and you need to try this too.” He opened a carry-out box with some meat inside.  
Loki finished himself a plate and heated up the food before sitting down to eat. "Where is doctor Banner?"   
Tony paused and frowned puzzled. “That’s a good question. Jarvis, where’s Bruce?”  
“Working Sir. Some people do have jobs.”   
Tony clicked his tongue. “I would mute you if I didn’t know you to help me so much.”  
Loki chuckled. "Why did you create Jarvis?" Loki asked. "How did you do it?"   
Tony looked at Loki and smiled a bit. “It was actually kind of an accident. I had the idea when I was younger but my dad always said that kind of technology was too faulty and way ahead of my skill level. So I started with a simple program; at first Jarvis could only do small things like change the temperature or turn the lights on and off. He couldn’t respond the way he does now.”  
“It was a very primitive and dark time for me.” The AI added in. He still had all the data from those days stored in his hard drive.   
Loki smiled. "And you've come a very long way since then Jarvis." Loki commented. "A true marvel."   
Tony smiled proudly and nodded. “It is. Jarvis was really the first friend I ever had. I started building him to be able to process different responses from me, even emotional changes. He can detect the slightest shift in your mood and that’s how he formulates his responses. My dad was surprised that I did it before he did.”  
Loki smiled. "The sense of pride you feel in yourself when you beat your father at something they couldn't do." Loki smiled.   
Tony chuckled. “It’s a pretty amazing feeling.” Tony looked at Loki then away and sighed quietly. “It always made me so mad when people acted like he was some great, amazing guy.” He shook his head.  
"I felt the same about Thor and Odin." Loki replied. "You're always in their shadow. You feel like there is nothing to can do to get out of it and that people will always compare you. They'll point out all the good things they've done but point every flaw in you."   
Tony nodded, swirling his drink. “People still compare me to my dad all the time. Look how brave Howard was, he fought in the war. Look how great he was, he made weapons to protect us during the war. When I was making weapons though, everyone said I was a murderer and that my dad would be ashamed of me.” Tony scoffed. “Well they were right about that anyway.”  
"You didn't know. Your father wasn't brave. He wasn’t there fighting alongside them, Bleeding with them." Loki said.  
Tony looked at Loki, the deep resentment visible in his eyes. “I was never good enough for him and I’m never good enough for anybody else.” He paused then smiled a bit. “Except you. You’re the only one that doesn’t look at me like I already screwed up.”  
"Because you didn't." Loki replied. "You are not him. Just because you share blood does not mean you are him. Whether he was proud of you or not you should take come pride in yourself. Look where you are." Loki explained. "What you've built is one of the greatest things I've ever seen."   
Tony chuckled and looked away, actually feeling bashful for once. “Keep talking like that and you’ll make me like you more.” He smiled at Loki. “If it’s any consolation, you’re pretty amazing too. You don’t have anything to be jealous about.”  
"Like I said I never wanted the throne. I only wanted to prolong Thor's status as a prince." He said.   
“Must have been hard though. You said it yourself, no matter what you did it wasn’t good enough.” Tony took a drink of his beer and sighed softly. “At least you still have your mom.”  
Loki nodded with a small smile. "I wish I could see her." He said. Suddenly his hunger seemed to disappear. Putting the food away Loki headed off for his room once more.  
Tony watched the god go and tapped the beer bottle in thought. There was no way Loki could leave and Fury would never allow a visitor. Two there weren’t inter-dimensional phones. That would make everything easier.  
"Shall I call Mr. Odinson?" Jarvis asked.   
Tony finished his beer and stood. “It’s worth a try.” He shrugged and hoped Thor wouldn’t be too upset about getting pulled away from Jane so many times.   
The blonde did not seem to mind it as much due to the fact that he wasn’t doing anything at the moment.   
“Hey Point Break.”  
“Anthony Stark, how is my brother?”  
“He misses his mom.”  
Thor nodded with a little smile. “He was always so close to her.”  
“Yeah. Listen, I was wondering if there’s some kind of magic stuff you can do so he can talk to her?”  
"I will see to it." Thor said. "Thank you."  
Tony nodded back. “No problem.”  
Thor smiled a bit. “I have not seen my brother this happy in ages, Anthony Stark. Whatever you are doing to make him smile so, do not stop.”  
"Were you always close to your mother?" Jarvis asked.   
"Yes. Odin spent more time with Thor. Grooming him to one day take the throne and I knew it had to be done. But I was not like Thor. As we grew older I was not big and bulky like him. That much was clear. I was in their shadows and so my mother thought to bring me out of the shadows and let me see my own light."   
“That is quite commendable. She sounds like a very kind woman.”  
Tony watched Thor go then went back inside.   
“Do I have anything planned this week?”  
“A meeting with the board on Thursday and lunch with Ms. Potts tomorrow afternoon.”  
Tony groaned. “Can’t I skip the meeting?”  
"No you cannot, Sir." He said. "You must attend the meetings twice a month as was the deal you made." Jarvis reminded him.   
Tony growled out annoyed and went to get some water from the fridge. “Why did I agree to that?”  
“Because it was either that or you lose power of your own company Sir.”  
The playboy rolled his eyes and shook his head.   
"Sir, you have to keep the company." Jarvis said. "What would you do without me?"   
Tony pouted at the ceiling, but he owed a lot to Jarvis. “Don’t get to full of yourself. I could always build a sexy, female AI you know.”  
"I would enjoy having a partner, Sir." Jarvis replied.   
Tony laughed and shook his head. “Whatever.”   
"What would you like to do now, Sir?" Jarvis asked.   
Tony shrugged and stood. “Guess I’ll keep working on my suit.” He went down to the lab after grabbing another beer.   
"Booting up the lab now, Sir."   
Tony went downstairs and looked over his suit. He had the basics laid out for it. Now he just needed to finish it up. He put on his safety goggles and gloves then got to work.  
Loki sat in his room reading one of the other books he'd gotten the day before.  
Tony worked on his suit all day, his music blaring. He bobbed his head as he welded pieces of metal plate for his suit.  
"Jarvis ask Stark if he'd like me to read to him again." Loki said.  
Jarvis turned down the music in Tony’s lab. “Sir, Mr. Laufeyson wonders if you would like for him to read to you again tonight.”  
Tony stopped what he was doing and nodded. “Yeah, sure.”  
"They'll put him to sleep for the night." Loki smiled.   
“I can assure you he does not mind in the least Mr. Laufeyson. He quite enjoys spending time with you.”  
“Very well Sir.”  
Tony put some final details on his suit then stepped back to look it over. “All right, I think this is a good stopping point for now.”  
"I shall save everything as is." Jarvis explained to him.  
“Thanks. Oh and test the energy reserves on the suit. Make sure the fixes went through.”   
“Certainly Sir.”  
Tony took off the gloves and goggles then went upstairs to shower.  
Loki sat in his room waiting patiently for Tony to come along so they could read.  
Tony took a quick shower and got the grease off his skin before getting dressed and going to Loki’s room. “So, what are you reading tonight?” He asked with a little smile and flopped onto the bed.  
"The rest of the book we started with." He said.   
“The one with that creepy guy.” Tony grinned and got comfortable. “All right.”   
Loki smiled as he opened up and flipped back a few pages because Tony had fallen asleep.  
Tony curled up close to Loki and listened as the god began to read again. He still wasn’t completely sure what was going on, but it was interesting.  
Loki read until he started to get tired. When his reading was interrupted by his yawning.  
Tony woke up when he felt Loki shift a bit and he yawned. “Mmf. You getting’ tired?” He looked up at the god sleepily.   
Another yawn escaped him before he could answer and nodded.   
Tony smiled a bit and nodded, running his fingers through his hair. “I’ll let you sleep.” He stretched and yawned again then stood. “Thanks for reading to me.”   
Loki yawned as he made himself comfortable already falling asleep against the propped up pillows.   
Tony stumbled into his room and fell onto his bed, falling asleep almost instantly.


	76. Chapter 76

Loki slept well into the next morning.  
Tony grumbled as his alarm sounded.   
“Sir, please wake up now.”  
Tony groaned and turned over, pulling the blankets over his face.   
“Sir, you have that meeting in three hours.”  
Tony whined into his pillows but didn’t move.   
"If you don’t get up I'm going to ask Mr. Laufeyson to wake you.”   
Tony ignored Jarvis and snuggled into the blankets further. He’d never been so comfortable before.   
Loki woke up with Jarvis calling his name. Sighing he dragged himself out of his bed to go get Stark up.   
"Wake up!" Loki screamed barging into the room. Going over to the bed he snatched the covers away from him and heaved the man up and over his shoulder to the bathroom.  
Tony yelped and began to struggle, still semi-asleep. “Jarvis! Help!”  
“You’re fine Sir. Though I did warn you.”  
Loki put Stark onto his feet. "Get dressed or I'm not making apple pie." Loki replied.   
Tony scoffed and pulled off his pajama shirt then started pulling his sweat pants down. “That’s low, holding back food.”  
"Well it’s low that I have to get involved." Loki replied.  
Tony rolled his eyes and finished stripping down to his boxers. “You don’t have to get up just because Jarvis tells you to. I would have gotten up eventually.” He shuddered a bit and turned on the shower then glanced back at Loki and smiled playfully. “Wanna shower with me?”  
Loki chuckled. "As I said once before I'm not showering with you." He said.   
“That’s what you say now.” Tony winked then pulled off his boxers and got into the shower.   
"I'm not your lover so stop trying to get in my pants. Or get me out of them."  
“You know you like it when I flirt with you!” Tony called from inside the shower as he rinsed out his hair and reached for the shampoo. “Why else would you still be in my bathroom?”  
Loki flushed a bit and turned on his heels quickly leaving.  
Tony couldn’t help but smile to himself at the silence. He finished up his shower then got out and dried off.   
“Might I suggest your dark blue suit Sir?”  
“Are we doing a video conference?”  
“Yes Sir. You will be holding it via satellite in your office.”  
“Fine.” Tony went into his closet.  
Loki went back to his room and still felt the blush on his cheeks. Was he enjoying all this flirting he and Stark were doing?  
“You are still smiling Sir. It’s getting rather annoying.”  
Tony chuckled and shook his head as he got dressed. “Did I make him blush?”  
“Oh he was quite flustered Sir.”  
Tony smiled even more and spritzed on his cologne. He slicked back his hair and put on his shoes.   
Loki shook his head getting Stark out of his thoughts. "I am not attracted to Stark."  
“I hope you don’t mind my saying Mr. Laufeyson, but Ms. Potts often told herself the same thing.”  
Tony looked himself over in the mirror and sighed heavily. He hated board meetings. They were all so dry and boring.   
Loki shook his head. "I'm not Ms. Potts." he said.  
“Yes, I am well aware. Ms. Potts, even now does not venture into Mr. Stark’s bathroom and yet you stood there while he was bathing.” It almost sounded like Jarvis was teasing.   
“All right, what are we talking about?”  
“It’s simple trade agreements Sir. It’s time to renew conditions, though not much has been changed. I took the liberty of highlighting the changes in your notes.”  
Tony picked up the folder and sat at his desk.  
"Jarvis please stop." he said. "I grew up around Thor seeing a naked man is hardly something to blink at. Stark has the same bits I do."   
“Oh certainly.” Jarvis chided. “I am quite certain your flirtatious manner is also simply due to something in your upbringing, even if you only behave that way with Mr. Stark.”  
Tony chewed on his lower lip as he looked over the notes and groaned. They had to have an entire meeting to discuss two changes. Just two. He hated this.   
“How much time?”  
“Just under an hour Sir.”  
Loki shook his head. "Have I really been flirting with him?"  
“Quite a bit, yes.”  
Tony looked over the notes and added a few things, crossing out others then huffed when the screens came on and each board member connected.  
"Is it bad?" Loki asked.   
"Not really, Sir, but Mr. Stark does have a tendency to bring that side out of people." Jarvis explained.   
“Ah, Mr. Stark, it’s good to see you.”  
“We missed you at the last meeting.”  
“Yeah, I was sick.” Tony shrugged, giving them a fake little smile. “So, let’s get started.”  
“Of course. I’m sure you got the memo with changes we’d like to implement to our trade agreements.”  
“Yeah, got it here.”  
"Do you have any disagreements about the changes?" The man asked. "We made them to be as simple as possible."   
“No, not really. I made a couple changes to some other stuff. Jarvis.”  
The AI scanned and pulled up the little notes Tony had made, organizing them for the others to see.  
“You want to update the carriers every five years?”  
“Mr. Stark that would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.”  
“Well, considering we make several billion dollars a year, I don’t think that’s very much.”  
“Mr. Laufeyson, may I ask you something?”  
"Well with the way technology is being outdated as soon as it hits the market five years does make sense." One of the other board members commented. The others looked back and forth and to each other.  
"Alright."  
"What's that Jarvis?"   
“If you look at the rest of the notes, you’ll be getting them through my company, so that’ll cut cost for you down even more.”  
Everyone looked at the notes and nodded.   
“And the security systems?”  
“You’ll get a default with each ship. Anything extra is going to cost you.”  
“What is it you feel for Mr. Stark?”  
"Very well, Mr. Stark."   
"I consider him my friend." Loki said.   
“Can you guarantee us exclusivity to these vessels?”  
“Yeah, it’s all in there. These make and models are all yours.”  
“Mr. Laufeyson, I have not seen Mr. Stark this happy in quite a long time. Even with Ms. Potts, he was afraid to open up too much. He has trusted you with details that up until now, only I knew. Please, use that influence you have over him wisely. Should be hurt somehow by this, I do not know if he will survive it.”  
Loki looked up at Jarvis and thought for a moment.   
“Mr. Stark does not have much in this world anymore. I would simply prefer to keep him from hurting himself any more than he already has.”  
Tony spoke a while longer with the board members, discussing trade agreements and new plans for the vessels.  
“Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts also informed us that you would be cutting down your meetings with us.”  
“Oh yeah. A couple things have come up with the Avengers deal so I can’t meet as often as usual.”  
"We will expect no less than three meetings a months unless of course under extreme circumstances, which only then will we over look it."   
“I have a new schedule for you guys but it’s tentative. We have an active mission with SHIELD so I might have to miss one or two.”  
“Understandable. Is it safe to assume that Ms. Potts will be holding these meetings in your place?”  
“Yep, Pep’s got it.”  
All of the board members nodded in understanding.   
"Then I think we are all on the same page Mr. Stark."   
“Good. Anything else we need to cover?”


	77. Chapter 77

“Mr. Laufeyson, your library is getting quite full. It seems expansion is necessary.” Jarvis pulled up a hologram for Loki to see how the library would be extended.   
"It’s full already?" Loki asked.   
“You have quite the collection of books Sir. It’s also worth noting that the room is not quite as large not that it has been filled with shelves. A simple expansion will allow for much more space.”  
Tony sighed relieved when the meeting was finally over. He loosened his tie and went towards the kitchen.   
“Loki still in his room?”  
"Yes, sir he is. We are discussing the expansion of the library." Jarvis said.   
“Oh. How much bigger does it need to be?”  
“Not too much Sir, though considering how quickly he is obtaining books, it would be best to expand now before he runs out of room.”  
Tony nodded and grabbed a beer. “All right. You got plans for it?”  
"I do, Sir." Jarvis replied. "He seems quite content with the size we'll be adjusting it to."   
“All right. Go ahead and order some stuff for the expansion.”  
“Already done Sir. It will arrive within a few hours.”  
Tony chugged his beer and nodded. “Good! How’s my suit?”  
“Doing well Sir. The changes have been implanted and I am updating software as we speak.”  
Loki was still thinking if he should act on his feelings but didnt want to hurt Stark or himself.  
Tony went over to Loki’s room and poked his head in then grinned. “Hey, Jarvis told me you need the library expanded.”  
Loki nodded. "We were just talking about it." Loki said. "I take it your meeting went well?" Loki asked.   
Tony shrugged and walked over, sitting on the bed with Loki. “It was a meeting. I hate doing them but Pep says I have to.”   
“It’s good for the company Sir.”  
“Yeah, yeah.”  
"You sound like Thor." Loki chuckled. “He hated going to formal events that was until he was old enough to drink and bed women." Loki replied.   
Tony chuckled and nodded. “I hate formal stuff. You have to be serious and I don’t like being serious, if you couldn’t tell.”  
"I could tell." Loki replied. "But I prided myself on it for years trying to prove that I could be a good king." Loki replied. "I acted as a king should act."   
Tony looked at Loki for a moment then nodded a bit. “You sound like Pep. She’s always really formal and presentable.” Tony shrugged a bit and smiled. “She hates it when I ask to ditch out on meetings.”  
"It’s your company Stark and your livelihood." Loki reminded him.   
“No, it’s all my dad’s. I just got it because he didn’t want to give the money up to someone else.” Tony sighed quietly then smiled. “It is nice to see your name on things though.”  
Loki rolled his eyes. "I have my name on nothing. Well nothing good anyway." Loki replied.   
Tony looked at Loki and felt bad for the god. To have nothing, not the smallest peace of something to be proud of. He knew the feeling. “But you’re going to change that.” He offered a smile. “Someday people here are going to remember you for the good things you did.”  
"Oh yes and compare it to the bad." he said. "They'll remind me and themselves of what a disgrace truly am. The royal runt."  
Tony frowned a bit, knowing deep down that this was true. Even after helping save New York City he was still often referred to as the Merchant of Death. There was more than tabloid floating around that called him a killer. The playboy sighed quietly then lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “Maybe. But you’re not just a runt, are you?” He gave Loki a little smile. “You’re Loki of Asgard, god of Mischief and Lies and I forget what else you always say.”  
Loki chuckled at him. "When you think of it I'm Loki of Jotunheim, son of Laufey, God of Mischief and lies."  
“Yeah well whatever, I’m not going to remember all that. You’re Loki, a god and one of the protectors of Earth.” Tony smiled then propped himself up on his elbows. “You know, there are some pretty good restaurants near the tower. You hungry? Cause I’m starving.”  
"You mean go out?" Loki asked. "Aren't you afraid of people seeing me?" He asked.   
“Nope, cause I have the perfect disguise for you.” Tony smiled and held up the sunglasses he’d let Loki borrow once. “Trust me, wear these, tie your hair back and wear some sweats, no one will know it’s you.”  
Loki put on the clothes stat Stark said to put on and followed him. "Okay?"   
Tony smiled amused as he looked Loki over. He handed the sunglasses to the god. “You look so different wearing sweats.” He chuckled a bit then put on his own sunglasses. “All right, let’s go.”  
Loki chuckled. "I don’t like these as much.” Loki replied.   
“When you get your magic back you can just shape shift.” Tony smiled and shrugged as they walked out. He’d changed into some sweats himself, though the agents following them stayed in their suits. Fury sure didn’t like being subtle.   
"I still have no freedom." Loki sighed. "It's like Fury wants me to be exposed in public."  
“Don’t worry about it; everybody will probably think they’re my body guards.” Tony shrugged and walked into the small restaurant.  
Loki rolled his eyes and they reached the restaurant. "What type of food to they make here?"  
“A little of everything. Pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, barbeque, a little something for everybody. Now me, I always get their cheese fries.”  
Loki looked at the menu and saw a picture catch his attention. "The loaded cheese fries look good." Loki replied.   
“Those are incredible.” Tony smiled then looked up when the waitress walked over to them.   
“Oh, Mr. Stark. Haven’t seen you in a long time. Who’s your friend?”  
Tony paused a moment, thinking of an alias for Loki. “His name’s Roger.”  
“Nice to meet you Roger. So, what’ll you two have?”  
Loki glared at him. "Do not call me Roger. One drunken night does not mean my nickname is Roger." Loki said. "My name is Fenrir." Loki said. "I'll have a glass of water and the loaded cheese fries."   
The waitress gave a little smile as if trying not to laugh at Tony and put down Loki’s order.   
“And you Babe?”   
Tony huffed a bit then ordered. “Chili cheese dog and a Coke.”  
“All right, coming up.” She took the menus and gave the orders to a man in the back.   
Tony watched her then looked at Loki with a little smile. “Quit pouting, it was the first name that popped into my head.”  
"But I'm not captain Rogers." Loki replied.  
“Oh trust me, I know. But it was either that or Barton so take your pick.” Tony gave a playful smile then glanced up as their drinks were brought out.   
“Food’ll be ready in a sec.” The waitress walked off again.   
Tony sipped his drink and sighed. “So, Fenrir huh?” He smiled a bit at Loki.   
"Yes sort of a joke really." Loki smiled. "They let my brother name me and at the time my father had just told him the tale of the great wolf Fenrir."   
Tony chuckled and shook his head. “They let Thor pick your name? I’m surprised he didn’t try to call you something really stupid.”  
The waitress walked over with their meals and set them on the table. Tony grinned.   
“Thanks Sweet Heart.”  
“No problem.” She smiled back then left again.  
"There are still people with our names." He said. "Many people still follow the old religion."   
“Yeah but those people live in little villages.” Tony sipped his drink. “I don’t do religion. It gets tedious after a while.” Tony took a bite of his fries and moaned in his throat. “So good.”  
"They actually don't." Loki replied.   
Tony blinked at Loki curiously. “What do you mean?” He ate some more fries then took a bite of his hot dog.  
"People still follow the old religion. Make offerings to Thor, Odin and Frigga."   
Tony slightly surprised to hear this. He’d imagined there were maybe a handful of people that believed in the old gods. “Weird. So, what do they offer to you?”  
"They don't." Loki replied. "I'm the god of mischief and lies what would they want with me?"  
Tony looked at Loki a moment then nodded slightly. “Guess you have a point. But hey, who needs em?” Tony shrugged and ate more of his hot dog. “Want some?”  
"No." Loki answered him looking at the hot dog.  
Tony shrugged. “Your loss.” He finished off his hot dog then started munching on his fries.   
"Hardly." Loki replied.   
Tony rolled his eyes. “You like your fries?”  
"Yes." Loki replied.   
“Told you they were good.” Tony smiled then finished his fries and sipped his drink. “Oh, there’s a really good bakery down the street too. Remember that cake we had on my birthday? That’s where I buy it. Maybe we can go there next time.”  
"Can't we get some to take back with us?"   
Tony smiled. “All right.” He paid for the food and left a generous tip as well. “It’s not too far from here.”   
"It's still in our range of being safe in the zone Fury gave me right?" Loki asked.   
“Oh yeah, don’t worry about it.” Tony walked out with Loki then pointed to some brick buildings in the distance. “As long as we don’t go past those, we’re fine.”  
Loki nodded. "Alright.” He smiled following Stark the rest of the way.  
Tony walked to the bakery and went in with Loki. “Hello!”  
“Oh, Mr. Stark!” An elderly woman greeted them with a smile. “How can I help you?”  
“My friend here wants a little something to take home.”  
"Of course." She smiled at him.   
"I'd like some of the birthday cake you sent Stark for his birthday." Loki said.   
“Certainly. Just a moment.” The woman went to fridge and pulled out the cake. She cut a large portion of it then put it in a baby blue box.   
“Will that be all?”  
“Actually could you send some of those carrot cupcakes to Pep?”  
“Ah, is her birthday coming up?”  
“I think so.”  
The woman giggled and shook her head. “You should really know this by now Mr. Stark.”  
"I'll have half a dozen sent over to her right away." She smiled at them.


	78. Chapter 78

Loki was looking at the things in the display box. "Could I have a few of these to try as well?" He asked pointing to come cookies.  
“Here you are, you can have a sample.” She gave Loki a piece of one of the cookies to try. She set the cake on the counter.   
Loki hummed at the taste. "They're good." He smiled at her.  
“They’re very popular.” The woman smiled and packaged half a dozen for Loki.   
“All right, is this all?”  
“I think so.” Tony went over and paid for the pastries.   
“Thank you very much for your business Mr. Stark.”  
Tony smiled. “Thanks Rosy.”  
"You're always welcome Mr. Stark. You and your find have a nice day.' She waved.   
Loki couldn’t wait to get back to the tower so he could eat the pastries they got.   
Tony headed back with Loki, chuckling at the hungry look in his eyes. “Did you like the cookies that much?”  
"Yes." Loki replied. "And I really want to eat some of the cake as well." Loki said.   
Tony smiled and nodded. “I don’t blame you. It’s really good. Pepper had me try it once and I’ve been buying cake from there ever since. They almost closed though; Rosy loses a lot of customers to the bigger bakeries in the city.”  
"So you're the only one keeping her open?" He asked.   
“I was for a while. That’s why I paid her so much for the cake. She cried when I told her I would contract her bakery with the company. She doesn’t have a lot of customers, but I send people her way all the time.”  
Loki nodded. "Good man."  
“I think you’re the first person who’s said that to me.” Tony smiled at the god and walked back into the tower with Loki. He set the cake down and opened the box, smiling. “My mouth’s watering.”  
"Would you like some?" Loki asked with a faint smile.  
“Cake or cookies?” Tony looked at Loki then glanced back at the cake. It really was his favorite.  
"Either." Loki replied.   
Tony smiled then went into the kitchen to get two plates and forks. He set them on the island.   
“Then I’ll have some of your cake.”  
Loki chuckled at him. "Alright." He said with a smile.  
Tony served himself and Loki some cake then got some milk as well.   
Loki smiled at the milk and started in on the cake sipping the milk from time to time.   
Tony took a few bites of the cake and hummed in his throat, licking his lips. “This is the most amazing cake I’ve ever had.”  
"But you eat it every year." Loki replied.   
“That’s what makes it taste so much better though. If you eat something all the time, it starts to lose flavor, you know? That’s why I save it for special occasions.”  
Loki shrugged. It made him miss the food from Asgard more and more.   
Tony took another bite of his cake. “When Fury gives you more clearance, I need to take you to the zoo.”  
"A zoo?" Loki questioned.  
“It’s a place where exotic animals are kept. It’s basically a large scale breeding program to help endangered animals, but people go to see them too.” Tony showed Loki a picture. “They have some of those animals I showed you a while back.”  
Loki nodded in understanding. "Right."   
“Oh, then we have to see the aquarium. They have a ride during the summer so you can go out and see the whales up close.”  
“That’s if Fury allows me out that far."   
“Hey, your probation ends in a few months. After that, it won’t be up to him. You’ll get your powers back and you’ll be able to go wherever you want.” Tony took another bite of the cake.   
Loki looked at him. "You're right. I will be." He said.   
Tony nodded. “You still have to serve a sentence with us as part of the Avengers but at least you’ll have more freedom.” The playboy finished his slice of cake.  
Loki nodded. "I'll settle for that." He smiled at Tony before digging back into his cake.  
Tony smiled back and finished his milk.   
“Mm, now that the portal things done I say we take another vacation at my beach house.” Tony grinned.   
Loki grinned. "Now that I can be happy about." Loki smiled.   
Tony gave Loki a playful grin. “We’ll be able to enjoy it more this time. Won’t need nearly as many agents there as last time.”  
Loki smiled. "Perfect. When can we go?"   
“In a few hours. We have to give Fury enough time to get his agents all pretty.” Tony smiled.   
Loki rolled his eyes and abandoned his cake. “I'll have to pack the books we got to take with us." Loki smiled.   
Tony chuckled and stood. “Go get packed then. Jarvis.”  
“I have already informed Director Fury and he has grudgingly given permission Sir.”  
“Good!”  
"I've also ordered food and the pool is being cleaned as we speak.” Jarvis informed.   
“Oh Jarvis you spoil me.” Tony smiled and went to pack his clothes.   
Loki moved everything to the front door so they could go when it was time.   
Tony pulled out two suit cases and packed up then set his things by the door. “Got the plane ready?”  
“Yes Sir, it is waiting for you on the launch pad as usual.”  
Loki smiled at him.   
"Yes, Sir. By the time you reach the airport everything will be ready for your departure."   
“Perfect!” Tony put the cake away and set it with his things. He’d want more later. He looked at Loki and smiled. “Ready to go?”  
“SHIELD agents have already been dispatched and are waiting Sir. Everything is in order.”  
"Of course I'm ready." Loki smiled at him.   
“Then let’s go.” Tony headed to the garage with their things and set everything in the trunk. He got into the car and they headed off.  
Loki thought about the large pool Stark had and beautiful sunset.  
"Ms. Potts will join you when she can Sir." Jarvis informed him.  
Tony smiled and nodded as he drove along. “Good. Guess she found time to spend with us.”  
They arrived at the landing pad soon enough and boarded the plane that waited for them there.   
Loki smiled. They'd not seen much of Ms. Potts in the last few months.  
“Ms. Potts has set aside a few days of vacation time Sir. She is quite eager to have a moment to relax.”  
“She should do that more often.” Tony sat down in the private plane and checked a few things on his phone.   
"Only if you decided to take on a larger work load, Sir." Jarvis stated.   
Tony chuckled and shook his head. “No.”   
The plane took off and they headed towards California. Tony stared out the window, admiring the view.   
“It’s pretty amazing, huh?”  
"I will show you a view even better than this when we got to the simulation chamber." Loki said.   
Tony looked at Loki and smiled. “Oh yeah? What are you going to show me?”   
"The best view of Asgard."   
Tony chuckled. “Pretty sure I’m looking at it already.” He winked playfully at Loki and smiled.  
"Shut up." Loki replied looking out of the window a slight blush on his cheeks.   
Tony laughed a bit but noticed the tinge of pink in Loki’s cheeks.   
They arrived in the early evening and Tony had his assistants carry everything in. He stretched and sighed.  
“Ah, time to relax.” He grinned.   
“Will you need anything else Mr. Stark?” One assistant asked, slightly tense as she glanced at Loki.   
“Nah, I’m fine. Thanks.” He sent them off then went to get a drink. “Aw Jarvis, you remembered my favorite juice.”  
“I have it stored in my hard drive Sir. Of course I remembered.”  
"You spoil him Jarvis.” Loki said finally with a fond smile.  
"That may be true but he did create me to do so." Jarvis replied.   
“You love me Jarvis.” Tony said with a cocky little smile.  
“Someone has to Sir.”  
Tony pouted and opened the juice, pouring himself a glass. “Hey Loki, you want any?”  
Loki put his hand out for the offered drink. "Thank you." He replied.   
Tony handed Loki his juice then sipped his own drink. “Oh it feels great out here. No rain, not too hot.” Tony smiled.   
"Do not get happy just yet Sir. The forecast promises rain the day after tomorrow."   
Tony huffed and grumbled. “Fine, I’ll just have to enjoy the pool right now.” Tony set down his drink and pulled his swim trunks out of one of the bags.


	79. Chapter 79

Loki did the same and went to change into them before coming back to the pool.  
Tony went out to the pool and jumped into the cool water. He surfaced and smiled, slicking his hair back.  
“Oh this is perfect.”  
“You two are already enjoying the pool, huh?” Pepper walked over with a smile.   
Loki smiled at Pepper and nodded. "It had to be done.' He said.   
Pepper smiled and shook her head. “I’ll be right back.”  
“Did you bring the polka dot bikini?” Tony smiled as he looked at Pepper. The redhead blushed and frowned at Tony.   
“No, I didn’t.” She walked off to change and came back wearing a simple black swim suit.  
Loki frowned at the comment wanting to figure out the meaning there.   
Tony smiled and shook his head. “You should Pepper in that bikini. She looks like a pin-up girl.”  
The redhead blushed again, trying to hide a smile. “Shut up.”  
Tony chuckled then began swimming around in the pool.   
Pepper shook her head then noticed the look on Loki’s face. She smiled at him curiously.   
“Loki, are you okay?”  
"I am fine." Loki nodded, before resuming his swimming.  
Pepper nodded then put on some sun screen and relaxed back on the chair.   
Tony swam around a while longer then crept towards Pepper and splashed her suddenly. He laughed hard as the redhead jumped up, gasping from the sudden bath.   
“Tony!”  
“Oh come on Pep! Don’t get mad!”  
The redhead growled and jumped into the pool, chasing after Tony.   
“Get back here!”  
Loki moved out of their way to let them have their fun. Sitting on the edge of the pool he laughed as Pepper finally caught Tony and tried to drown him.   
Pepper had clambered up onto Tony’s shoulders and was trying to push him underwater.  
“Agh! Pepper!” Tony laughed as he tried to get her off without falling over.  
Loki laughed harder at Tony's antics. "Don't let him get away Ms. Potts." Loki said.   
Tony thrashed then lost his footing. Both he and Pepper fell under the water with a yelp. Tony quickly swam out from under Pepper and tried to find safety near Loki.   
“Base! Base!”  
Pepper popped up and got her hair out of her face, frowning at Tony. “What are you, five? There is no base!” She headed for Tony again.  
"Don’t bring that near me." Loki said swimming to the other side of the pool.  
Tony grinned wickedly and swam after Loki with Pepper trailing behind. “Oh come on Loki!”  
Pepper laughed and began splashing the two of them.  
"If you two want to play that game then we'll play that game." He smiled. Loki began to slash at them both.  
Tony laughed and began splashing back, as did Pepper. The three played for a good while before Pepper climbed out of the pool to sunbathe again.  
“I should buy some water guns.”  
“Oh yeah, that’s what we need.” Pepper smiled and shook her head.  
Loki shook his head. "That is the last thing he needs."   
Tony pouted at the two. “You guys just don’t know how much fun it would be!”  
“So now you’re the Merchant of Water Fights?”  
Tony grinned. “Sounds better than Merchant of Death, doesn’t it?”  
Loki shook his head. Pepper rolled her eyes and decided to ignore her boss.  
Tony pouted at the two of them then climbed out and went to the mini-bar near the pool. “You two don’t know how to have fun.”  
“Oh I can have fun just fine.”  
"As do I." Loki replied. "Besides you know my life I've had enough fun to last me several lifetimes."   
“I know you don’t have fun. The most you do is yoga.” Tony looked at Pepper then Loki.” And you…well I’m not really sure what you do.” Tony fixed himself a drink and sat in one of the pool chairs.   
“Not everyone has to get black out drunk and stay up all night inventing to have fun Tony.”  
“Hey, I do other stuff too!”  
Pepper smiled and shook her head. “Models and one night stands don’t count.”  
Loki started laughing. "Yoga can be fun." Loki replied. He found that he himself was quite good at it.   
“And you do yoga all the time too Tony.”  
The inventor blushed a bit and pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “You’ve been spying on me again?”  
“How else am I supposed to make sure you’re alive? Although with Loki I haven’t had to worry so much.”  
Loki smiled proudly.  
"He does what I can't do." Pepper smiled.   
“Okay, I don’t like you two being so buddy-buddy over there.”  
Pepper rolled her eyes and sat back. “You listen more to Loki than you do to me.”  
“He’s always right there! Do you know what he did? He dangled me off the roof of the tower once!”  
"If I had known that would be all it took I would have put on one of your suits and done it myself." Pepper laughed.   
Tony narrowed his eyes at her and downed his drink then got up to get another one. “You’re not funny Pep. That scared the shit out of me.”  
"Come on Tony you know I'm only joking.' she said.  
Tony gave her a suspicious glare and fixed himself another drink. Pepper chuckled and relaxed back against her chair again.  
“It’s so nice out here.”  
“Enjoy it now. Jarvis says it’s going to rain tomorrow.”  
"Way to kill my first day off in three months." Pepper sighed.   
“Hey, it’s not like I’m the one that made it rain.” Tony sipped his drink and sighed relaxed as he sat in his chair.  
"I know you didn't Tony. But it still puts a damper on things."   
Tony nodded then perked up a bit. “Why don’t we all go out for dinner tomorrow night then?”  
Pepper smiled. “That sounds nice.” She paused then frowned. “But Loki can’t leave.”  
Tony grinned. “No, he just can’t get caught leaving.”  
"Tony you're not risking that. I can arrange for something to be brought to the house." Pepper said.   
Tony rolled his eyes but knew it would be better that way. “All right. Loki, what are you in the mood for?”  
"I don't care to be honest." He replied.   
Tony grinned. “Okay, then I have an idea. There’s this Thai place that makes the most amazing Pad Thai.”  
Pepper chuckled and looked at Loki. “They’re food is really spicy though.”  
Loki frowned a bit. "I guess we can give it a try. If it doesn’t work out I'll survive on other foods." He said.   
“What’s the matter? Can’t handle spicy food?” Tony smiled at Loki jokingly and Pepper shook her head.   
“I’ll get you something else from another place you might like.”  
Loki nodded. "Alright." He replied.   
Tony finished his second drink and checked a few things on his phone when he noticed a message from Fury.   
We caught Osborn just outside of Canada. Seems he was the one behind all this- Fury.   
Tony sighed and shook his head.   
All right-Stark  
Tony looked up at Loki and shook his head, setting his phone to the side. “No just…something happened is all.”  
Pepper looked over at Tony. “What’s wrong?”  
“It was Osborn.” He frowned then got up to get another drink.  
Pepper got up and went over to Tony. "Tony are you okay?"  
“Yeah I’ll be fine.” Tony huffed and poured himself a drink. “You’d think he would learn, you know?”  
“Tony not everybody does.”  
The playboy rolled his eyes and downed his drink. “He’s being stupid again.”  
"Right he's being stupid again, but that doesn't mean you should start drinking because of it. He made his choices." Pepper replied.   
“Pepper, I’m not drinking because of him. I’m drinking because I want to.”  
“We talked about this. You know it’s not good for you.”  
“It’s not good for anybody.” Tony sassed back at Pepper and poured himself another drink. The redhead frowned and swiped the bottle.   
“This is killing you! Why won’t you listen to me?”  
“I cut back Pepper!”  
Loki put a hand on Pepper's shoulder and shook his head. He'd give Stark this free pass for the night.   
Pepper looked back at Loki and sighed then frowned at Tony.   
“You’d do it if he asked you to.” She walked off.


	80. Chapter 80

Tony watched the woman go and clenched his jaw. He felt a drop of water fall on his hand and the sky started to darken.  
"That was not right." Loki told her. "Even deserves that mourning." He said.   
Pepper looked at Loki and shook her head. “You’re going to learn the hard way that Tony doesn’t need a reason to drink until his liver shuts down. He’s an alcoholic. The worst thing you can do for him is let him think he’s right for drinking.”   
Tony went back inside and sighed as it began raining hard.   
“Jarvis.”  
“Sorry Sir, it seems the storms have rolled in sooner than I thought.”  
"Yes and his generosity does not still keep me from wanting to die." Loki replied. "I made it happen once and I will make it happen again. But for now allow him to wallow in grief and pity."   
Pepper sighed quietly and shrugged, her gaze already defeated. She’d already fought too hard with Tony to get him to stop drinking. She’d leave that struggle to someone else. She went to her room and got dressed.   
Tony went and got dressed as well then came back out of his room and went to grab a beer. He glanced at Loki and gave a little smile.   
“Can’t rain forever right?”  
"No it can't rain forever." Loki replied. Loki said nothing about Tony's drinking. Over the months Loki allowed Tony to have a beer or two when they ate dinner or watched movies together.   
Before the night was over, Tony had successfully gotten himself drunk. He sat up at the table, looking at the empty glass in front of him.   
Jarvis told Loki when Tony finally finished the bottle. Getting up Loki heading out to the kitchen and sighed.   
"Come to bed."   
Tony blinked then looked over at Loki and chuckled, his nose and cheeks pink. “Did you know that I have little pieces of metal in my chest?” Tony nodded, as if answering his own question. He lifted his glass then laughed when he remembered it was empty. “It’s-it’s weird cause I can always feel it, you know? This pain in my chest.”  
Loki removed the glass from Tony's hand and pulled him to his feet. "Come on. Tomorrow we'll get the metal out of your chest."   
Tony smiled and leaned against Loki slightly, unable to stay steady on his feet. “Y-You know what really sucks?” Tony paused a moment to giggle then wrapped his arms around Loki’s neck. “I-I love you.” He looked into the god’s eyes. “And…what was I saying?” He frowned puzzled and rested his forehead on Loki’s shoulder.  
"That you loved me." Loki replied. "You don't mean it though.”  
Tony lifted his head and looked at Loki again. “Yeah I do.” He tried to stand a little taller but couldn’t stay straight on his feet. “I love you Loki.” He smiled. “You make me feel happy.” He mumbled and his head drooped. Fatigue was really starting to gnaw at him.  
Loki laid Tony down on the bed. "You're being ridiculous. Get some sleep."  
Tony giggled again then reached up and pulled Loki close. “Stay with me. I-I sleep better when you’re close.” He smiled at the god.  
"I'll stay until you fall asleep but that's it." Loki replied. It wouldn't take long anyway. Tony was already falling into sleep.  
Tony smiled and wrapped his arms around the god, sighing content. “Mmh, your skin feels nice.” Tony nuzzled his face against Loki’s neck and closed his eyes, sleep quickly hushing his mind.  
It wasn't long before Loki could hear Tony's soft snores. Not wanting to wake him Loki stayed where he was for the night.  
Tony stayed curled up against Loki the entire night. He mumbled a few times as he slept, groaning occasionally before going quiet again.  
When he woke up the next morning, Tony could felt a slight chill next to him but it was oddly pleasant. He sighed and pressed closer to the source, not wanting to wake up yet.   
Loki shifted slightly in his sleep to turn over into a more comfortable position.  
Tony sighed softly as he slept on, one of his hands resting on Loki’s hip. He opened his eyes slowly and looked at the god. It took him a moment before last night’s events formed in his mind. He watched the god sleep for a moment then reached his hand up, brushing his fingers through Loki’s hair slowly.  
Green eyes opened slowly to look back at the inventor. "Good morning." Loki greeted.   
Tony gave a sleepy smile. “Morning.” He snuggled closer to the god. “Thought you were only going to stay until I fell asleep?”  
"Well you wouldn't," Loki closed his eyes once more, "let go of me."  
Tony chuckled quietly, resting his forehead against the god’s neck. “I like to hug in my sleep. Pepper hated it.” He wrapped his arms around Loki’s waist and sighed content. It felt oddly perfect to hold Loki this way.   
"Yes well now you can let me go." Loki replied.   
Tony smiled playfully. “Hmm, no I don’t think I will. You’re pretty comfy.”  
Loki opened an eye to look down at Stark. "I am not your bed partner."  
“You say that but you did spend the night with me.” Tony smiled up at Loki then let go and sat up. It was good while it lasted anyway. He stretched and shook his head.   
“Jarvis, is it still raining.”  
“Yes Sir, and quite hard.”  
Loki crawled out of the bed and stretched himself from head to toe. Loki left the room without saying another word to Stark.   
Tony watched the god go and ran his fingers through his hair. He was reading too much into this.  
Pepper was up and already in the kitchen. She’d made herself a small, simple breakfast and waited for Loki and Tony to wake up.   
"Good morning Mrs. Potts." Loki smiled at her. Loki went to get himself some breakfast and since he didn’t feel like cooking he threw grapes, berries, an apple and some cheese onto a plate.  
Pepper smiled back and sipped her tea. “Good morning. Did you sleep all right?”   
Tony checked over some things on his phone then saw the text from yesterday. He sighed and rubbed his temples. How the hell the man kept getting out of custody was a mystery to him. He searched through his contacts and dialed Harry. Might as well make sure he was all right.   
“Hello?”  
“Hey Harry.”  
“Tony! It’s been forever since I’ve heard from you. How’s life?”  
"He wrapped himself around me like a monkey to its mother." Loki replied.   
Pepper looked over at Loki. "You slept in the room with him?"   
"I was only supposed to stay there until he fell asleep but he wouldn't let go of me after I helped him get to bed."  
Pepper looked at Loki shocked. “Wait, he let you go into his bedroom and didn’t ask for sex?”  
Tony chuckled a bit. “It’s been better.”  
“I hope so. I’ve heard about everything you’ve been going through on the news. How are you not dead?”  
“Someone important loves me.”  
Harry laughed and shook his head. “I heard about my dad on the news too Tony.”  
Tony’s smile faltered slightly. “Yeah. You holding up okay?”  
Harry pursed his lips. “I haven’t talked to him in months. I didn’t even think he was still alive until I heard he’d been caught again.”  
"No he didn't ask for sex. He instead said he loved me." Loki replied.   
Pepper sat there, staring at Loki in complete surprise. She was quiet, though clearly trying to form words.   
“He…I’m sorry, he said he loves you?”   
“I just wanted to make sure you’re doing okay.”  
“I’m fine Tony, really. I live on my own and I don’t deal with him unless I have to.”  
Tony nodded quietly. “We should get drinks sometime. My treat.”  
"I'd like that." Harry said. "I miss hanging out with you.”   
Loki nodded. "He did. He's had feelings for me for a time now." Loki confessed.  
“Yeah, I am pretty fun.”  
Harry laughed a bit. “Still got that ego huh?”  
Tony just smiled and shrugged. “What am I without it?”


	81. Chapter 81

Pepper blinked and started to smile slowly. “Oh really?”  
“I am afraid I’m the one that informed him of this Ms. Potts.”  
Pepper chuckled lightly. “Well I can tell you this: in all the time I’ve worked for Tony, he’s only said I love you to one other person and that was me.”   
"So I should be considering myself lucky that he has such feelings for me?" Loki asked. "Has anyone reminded him that I'm not human? That one day I'll be leaving Midgard to go home?"   
Pepper nibbled her lower lip a bit and sighed. “You don’t have to accept his feelings. It’s probably better that you don’t, since you’re going to leave but,” She paused a moment then gave Loki a little smile. “He doesn’t care Loki. When he says those words, he means them.”  
"Which makes it worse." Loki said. "I've been mentally arguing with myself if I should be returning his feelings." Loki sighed.   
Pepper looked at Loki. “How do you feel about him?”  
"I want to return his feelings but it will only lead to one of us being heart broken, I know it."  
“It doesn’t have to. You could stay, you know.” She gave a little smile. “I know this is probably the last place you want to be but you could stay.”  
"And watch him die?" Loki asked.   
She hadn’t thought about that. Pepper looked at Loki then away. “I kind of forgot you’re immortal.” She sighed quietly.   
“Hey, you two talking about me?” Tony walked out with a cocky grin on his face.   
"No." Loki answered quickly. "I'll be in my room." Loki said, picking up his food and heading off.  
Tony watched the god go then looked at Pepper. “Did I say something?”  
“Apparently you told him that you love him.”  
Tony stopped and looked at Pepper. “That’s not funny Pepper.”  
“I didn’t say it was.”  
Tony felt his legs give way and he sat down. “Oh my God.”  
“Tony?”  
“Oh my God I told him. Did he say anything to you?”  
Pepper pursed her lips a bit. “He just said that he slept in your room and that you told him that you love him. I guess he’s known for a little while now.”  
“What? Who told him?”  
“I am afraid that was me Sir.”  
“Jarvis!”  
"I am sorry, Sir but I thought it would be best if he knew ahead of time to at least consider possibly being in a relationship with you."   
Tony ran a thousand different thoughts and ideas through his head. “What did he say?”  
“I think it would be best if you asked him yourself Sir.”  
Pepper looked at Tony quietly for a moment. “Tony, do you really love him?”  
Tony looked at Pepper and clenched his jaw nervously. “I do. I don’t want to but I do.”  
“What do you mean you don’t want to?”  
“He’s going to leave Pepper. Once he’s done serving out his sentence here with SHIELD, he’s going to go back home.” Tony looked at Pepper then away and shook his head. “And I’m going to be sitting here alone again.”  
Pepper frowned. They both had their fears. Tony thought Loki was going to leave him and Loki thought he'd only end up watching Tony die.  
“What if you could get him to stay?”  
“I can’t ask him for that Pep. He wants to go home, he feels trapped here. He can’t go anywhere because will recognize him and treat him like shit.”  
“You could at least talk to him about it.”  
“Yeah, that will go over great. Hey Loki, remember that drunk confession I made to you last night? Would you consider leaving your family and friends and everything you know to stay here with me?”  
Pepper frowned. "You are impossible.” She said. "The both of you are. But what do I know? Both of you can walk around having feelings for each other and beating around the bush until he leaves."   
Tony frowned at the woman. “You’re really not helping.”  
“Tony, just talk to him! It won’t kill you.”  
“I don’t even know if he feels the same way about me Pepper. I’m not going to confess to something, again, just for Loki to tell me politely that he appreciates it but doesn’t feel the same way.”  
"You know fine. Stay lonely and he can be lonely and you can both just beat around bush." Pepper said.  
Tony looked away from Pepper, tapping his fingers on the table upset. “You’re being mean to me Pep.”  
“No, I’m treating you like an adult because you’re acting like a kid. Go talk to him.”  
Tony pursed his lips then looked towards Loki’s room.   
Loki had abandoned his food to his bedside table and opted for a shower instead.  
Tony stood outside Loki’s room, trying to figure out what to say to the god. He wanted to play this off as a joke; at least that way it would be less awkward.   
"Sir, there is no joke or humor for this." Jarvis said.  
“Could you stop doing that thing where you pretend to read my mind? I’m nervous enough as it is.” Tony took a deep breath then lifted his hand to knock on the door but froze. What would he even say?  
"Perhaps thinking it over first would be better."  
Tony pursed his lips then scoffed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was flustered by this. He walked around in the living room for a while before going down to his lab. Might as well blow off some steam before he said something stupid.   
Pepper decided to go out and pamper herself a bit. She hadn't done anything good for herself in a while.  
Tony stayed hulled up in his lab for a good while, babysitting the beer on one of the tables.   
“All right, I’ll tell him.” Tony stood then groaned and sat back down. “No, I can’t. I’ll look like an idiot.”  
Jarvis didn’t say anything as he watched over both for them. Loki finally got up and walked out to the living room.   
"Ask Anthony to come up stairs please."  
"Sir, Mr. Laufeyson would like you to come to the living room."  
Tony tensed and took a large swig of his beer before going upstairs. He looked at Loki and tried to stay as cocky as usual.   
“Need something Reindeer Games?”  
Loki went over to him and leaned in close enough to bring their lips together. "I have feelings for you and I know you have them for me."  
Tony’s eyes widened and a breath caught in his throat. He looked at Loki shocked and tried to form coherent words but couldn’t. “I…you…feelings?”  
"Speak like a normal person." Loki replied. "But yes I have feelings for you."  
Tony blinked and looked at Loki before trying to speak. “You umm…you do?”  
"Yes." Loki replied.  
“Loki this…” Tony paused a moment and sighed. “I don’t want this to be something we regret. I haven’t felt this way since I was with Pepper, and even then it wasn’t the same.”  
"I never said anything about regretting anything." Loki replied.   
“Loki, you…” Tony huffed and shook his head a bit. “You’re going to leave. Once all of this is over, you’re gone and then what? You go home and we stay friends?”   
"Then we can sit here and not enjoy it while he have it." Loki replied.  
Tony looked into the god’s eyes then away slowly. “I don’t want to enjoy it for a few months. I don’t just want you for a few months while you’re here.” He paused a moment and swallowed. “I want you to stay and you won’t because this is the last place you want to be. And I don’t want to let go of you.”  
"Very well then." Loki replied. Turning away, Loki headed back to his bedroom. "What did I tell you Jarvis?"  
“Are you going to leave things like this?” Jarvis spoke to Loki and sounded a little too much like Pepper when she was upset.   
Tony watched Loki go and felt a heavy weight in his chest. He fell back into the chair and looked at the ground.   
“Just tell him Tony. You won’t know until you talk to him Tony.” The man scowled and stood, kicking the chair over and going back down to his lab.   
“Sir, please.”  
“Stop talking Jarvis.” He pulled out another beer and downed it one gulp.  
"For once in your electronic life just shut up." Loki ordered. "Stop meddling in our lives."   
“Very well then, suffer.” Jarvis sounded spiteful as he spoke then shut off.   
Tony stayed in his lab the rest of the evening, drinking and tossing the empty bottles at the wall. Loki should have just turned him down. Why couldn’t the god just say he didn’t feel the same? Tell him there was no hope for them? No, he had to make it seem as though there was a chance. Tony scoffed and ran his hands over his face.  
"Piss off." He snapped. Loki cut the lights and burrowed into the couch.


	82. Chapter 82

He was pretty drunk by the time he went back upstairs. Tony stumbled up into the living room with a cut in his foot; the result of his rather stupid attempt at cleaning up the glass in the lab. He made his way towards the bathroom, leaning against the walls.  
“Jarvis, where’s the-the first help…thingy.”  
“The first aid kit is in the cabinet of the bathroom, Sir.”  
Jarvis wanted to call Loki to go help Tony but knew it was pointless.  
"Sir please sit down so I can assist you."   
“I can-I can do it myself.” Tony frowned and went into the bathroom, groaning as he stepped on his foot. “Ow, fuck!” He fumbled through the cabinets and sat on the lid of the toilet with the first aid kit in his hands.  
Jarvis grew quiet once more letting his creator to fix himself up again.  
Tony tried and tried again to get the piece of glass out of his foot but was too drunk to get it. He mumbled under his breath then managed to slide off the toilet seat. He groaned as he hit the ground then giggled stupidly.   
Jarvis sighed and took things into his own hands.   
Tony blinked and looked up as one of his suits walked into the bathroom. It sat him up against the wall and began tending to his foot. Tony was quiet for a while, watching as his foot was cleaned and bandaged.   
“Jarvis, can you call somebody for me?”  
“It’s almost four in the morning Sir.”  
“I mean later, smart ass.”  
"Of course Sir. Who would you like me to call?" Jarvis asked.  
Tony was quiet for a moment, his eyes wandering to Loki’s bedroom door. He felt his chest clench slightly.  
“Courtney.” He gave a fake smile and waggled his brows. “Haven’t talked to her in a long time.”  
"Of course, Sir." He said.   
“I-do-do you remember Courtney?” Tony giggled as the suit picked him up and took him to his bed.  
“Yes Sir. I have no memory problems at all.” Jarvis set Tony down and got him under the covers. “Sir, do not do this. You have opened Mr. Laufeyson to the hope of more than a meager friendship. Do not hurt him this way.”  
Tony’s smile faded and he looked at the suit. “He’s gonna leave, Jarv. I don’t wanna be alone.” Tony curled up under the blankets and fell asleep quickly.   
By the time Loki woke up it was late afternoon. Dragging himself up and out of bed he went into the living room and frowned when he saw a woman entering. Growling to himself he stormed off to his room.  
Courtney caught a glimpse of the god out of the corner of her eye. “Tony?” She called out, not knowing who it was.   
Tony walked out a few moments later, dressed and ready for a date. He gave his usual smile. “Courtney. Glad you could make it.”  
The woman smiled and stood from her seat. “Well what else do you do when the Tony Stark calls?”  
Pepper sat out on the patio, equally as upset as Loki if not more so. She knew what Tony was doing. He’d done the same to her when things had started to get serious between them and now it seemed he was ready to ruin things with Loki as well.  
Loki was stewing in his room. He wanted to scream and shout and leave now more than ever.   
The temperature in his room started to drop even further.   
Pepper watched as Tony and Courtney left before she went back inside. She shook her head, pursing her lips then paused when she felt a slight chill. She glanced around then towards Loki’s room. Her eyes widened when she saw frost building around the door.   
“Do not fret Ms. Potts; that is actually quite normal though I would suggest keeping a safe distance.”  
"I guess things went very wrong." Pepper said.  
"Very wrong Ms. Potts. Mr. Stark thinks that since Loki will leave him he will have someone that won’t leave him." Jarvis said.  
"Tony was drunk when he said that wasn't he?"  
"Very much so."  
Pepper sighed heavily and shook her head. “I’ll have to talk to him later.”  
“Or perhaps a little convincing is in order.”  
Pepper looked towards the ceiling curiously. “What do you mean?”  
“Let Mr. Stark fool around but you know he will not be able to stay away for long. If Mr. Laufeyson feigns interest in someone else, Mr. Stark will not be able to hide his feelings anymore.”  
Pepper couldn’t help but smile at the idea. She knew Tony couldn’t handle jealous well; he’d turn a shade of green that would make the Hulk look pale.   
"But who would we get to pair up with Loki to make Tony jealous?" Pepper asked.  
“Might I suggest perhaps one of his old flings? What could hurt more than seeing an ex with his current love interest?”  
"Now all you have to do is get Mr. Laufeyson to go along with it."  
“If it gets back at Tony, I think he’ll agree.” Pepper walked over to Loki’s room, shaking at the sudden cold. She knocked on the frost crusted door. “Hey Loki, can I talk to you?”  
"No." Loki replied.   
“I can help you get back at Tony.” She hoped this would at least convince the god to warm the house back up. There was frost on all the windows.  
Loki finally opened the door. "How?"   
Pepper smiled deviously. “Tony is first of all egotistical and secondly jealous. He’s trying to convince himself that he doesn’t really love you, even though he does. So we’re going to get you a date.”  
"Oh yes someone else might find themselves interested in the homicidal god."  
Pepper rolled her eyes. “I know a few people that don’t know who you are and will make Tony stop screwing around. But you have to trust me.”  
Loki looked at her. "Very well." Loki agreed.  
Pepper nodded at Loki and her smile returned. “Then it’s a date.”   
Pepper told Loki about the woman he would be meeting. She was an old fling of Tony’s but things between them ended rather badly. Tony had never been known for settling, and being a tabloid journalist, the woman wasn’t very happy about being dumped.   
“Her name is Alyssa Kyles but she goes by Ally.” Pepper gave Loki small details as she helped him get dressed for his date.   
Loki knew to pour on the charm a bit heavy for the woman. He of course had no intention of sleeping with her.  
“I explained to her a little of what the date is for.” Pepper chuckled softly. “So she’s ready to help.” She finished fitting the suit on Loki. “You look incredible in a suit, by the way.” She smiled.   
Tony arrived back at his home alone, having dropped off his date at her apartment. He wasn’t in the mood to spend the night with anyone, oddly enough, and opted for getting home early. Of course he wasn’t planning on their being an all too familiar black car out front and he really wasn’t planning for certain bitter ex-girlfriend to be sitting in the living room. Giggling happily and having a good time. With her arm around certain raven haired god’s arm as they drank champagne.   
“Your accent is so sexy. I think I could listen to it all night.” Alyssa smiled at Loki playfully. “Where did you say you were from again?”  
"Norway." Loki smiled at her. Loki looked up when he saw Tony come into the house. "Hello Stark." Loki walked past him with Ally on his arm.   
Tony stood there, clearly dumbstruck and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I must have missed some invitation.”  
“No, you just weren’t invited.” Ally chided then smiled at Loki. “I heard Norway has delicious food and good looking men. I guess it’s true, isn’t it?” She giggled then sipped her drink.   
Tony couldn’t believe what he was seeing. What in the world was this? He opened and closed his mouth a few times before speaking. “What the hell is this?”  
Ally looked at Tony and gave him a cocky smile. “A date. Your friend Fenrir is quite the charmer.”   
“Yeah, wouldn’t you know it?” Tony ran his tongue along his teeth and looked at Loki, clearly upset. “Have fun.” He walked off, trying to stay calm. He was fine. This was completely fine. They weren’t dating anyway, right? Why should he care that Loki was dressed like the living embodiment of sex and entertaining his least favorite woman?  
Loki had to admit it was satisfying to see the look in Stark's eyes as he left. He turned his attention back to Ally.   
Loki talked with her and ate. Telling a few stories of his own. They managed to have two bottles of wine between them. As it finally grew late enough Loki asked for a car to take Ally home.   
"Come on let me stay the night with you.” She said.   
"I don't sleep with a lovely lady on the first date." He said.   
Ally gave Loki a little smile. “You’re not like Stark, that’s for sure. Usually sex is what’s for dessert.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I had a really great time. Maybe we can do this again soon.”  
Tony watched from the window, absolutely fuming. His nostrils flared when Ally kissed Loki’s cheek and he growled out annoyed.   
“Is something wrong Mr. Stark?”  
“No!”  
"Well I'm not Stark." Loki kissed her hand and helped her into the car. He waited until he could no longer see the car before heading inside.  
Tony was getting himself a drink when Loki walked back inside. He glanced at the god, trying to hide the burning jealous in his voice.   
“Have fun on your date?”  
"I did." He replied.   
“I know what you’re doing and I know Pepper’s helping you, I’m not stupid.” Tony pursed his lips at the god then downed his drink.   
"Well since I can’t have you I might as well find it somewhere else." Loki replied calmly. Loki headed off for his bedroom.   
Tony watched the god go, clenching his jaw and trying to keep his breathing steady. He wasn’t going to lose this little game. He poured himself another drink and spent most of the night at the bar.   
When Pepper woke up the next morning, she wasn’t surprised to find Tony sitting in the kitchen with an angry frown.


	83. Chapter 83

“Morning Tony.”  
“We need to talk.”  
"About what?" She asked. "What pissed you off this morning?"   
“Don’t play dumb, you know exactly what I’m talking about Pepper.”  
“You’re not dating him Tony. He’s an adult so Loki is allowed to date anyone he wants. I just got him with Allyssa because…”  
“Because she’s the one person I dated in the past that you knew would help you and Loki screw with me.” Tony raised his voice slightly then sighed, trying not to lose his temper. “This isn’t funny Pepper.”  
"No, it's not." She said. "But at least he got to enjoy himself for a few hours." Pepper pointed out. "If he can't have you he might as well get it from one willing to give it. Maybe he'll get over you."   
“Pepper…”  
“You think you’re the only one that’s hurt? You don’t think it took a lot for him to finally admit that he loves you too?”  
“He never said he loves me. He said he has feelings for me.”  
“Oh so you need to hear it in those words? How long do you think it took him to screw up the nerve to tell you how he felt? This isn’t just hard for you Tony, it’s hard for him too.”  
“He’s going to leave. He’s going back to Asgard Pepper!”  
“You’re sure of that? You asked him if that’s actually what he wants.”  
Tony stopped as he looked at Pepper. He frowned and grabbed a beer. “I’ll be in the lab.” He walked off.  
"His feelings are wasted on you." she snapped. "You have no idea how he feels about this. That he's giving up his fears to be with you but God forbid he leave." She said. "He was right. Better than watching you die."   
“And what do I do when he leaves Pepper?” Tony frowned at his friend then away, blinking away the tears that pricked his eyes. “The last time I felt this way was for you and look how great that ended up. So I’m sorry that I’d rather have him mad at me then have him take a chunk of my heart when he leaves.”  
“Then go talk to him. Go sit him down and talk to him about how you feel. What if you convince him to stay here?”  
“Yeah, let me just ask him to stay in a world where he’s miserable and everyone hates him. Hey Loki, I know you miss your friends and family back home but I want you to stay here with me because I can’t stand the thought of you leaving!”  
Upstairs in his room Loki thought about how stupid he was being for doing this. "I'm no better than Thor." He sighed. Getting up Loki put on a pair of shoes. "Where are you going?" Jarvis questioned.   
"Back to SHIELD."   
“Mr. Laufeyson I implore you think this through clearly. Mr. Stark is the only ally you have. If you leave and return willingly to SHIELD he will not be able to protect you from Director Fury’s wrath.” Jarvis sounded almost afraid.   
“How do you know how wants to go back? Tony, you know him better than anyone else here, probably better than his family. What has he told you that he misses from Asgard? What friends has he talked about?”  
Tony looked at Pepper and sighed. “His kids are there Pep. I can’t ask him to leave them for me. I’m not…” He paused a moment. “I’m not worth more than his kids.”  
"I'm turning myself over willingly. I've given Fury no reason to put me behind bars. I've done what he's asked." Loki said.  
“Mr. Laufeyson you are forgetting that he wants your head on a pike for crimes you did not commit.”  
Pepper looked at Tony then put a hand on his shoulder. “Tony, for once in your life, listen to me. Take this chance before it’s gone.”  
Tony sighed quietly then looked up towards Loki’s room.  
"Maybe it'd be better if it was." Loki answered.  
"Mr. Stark Loki is preparing to turn himself back into SHIELD."   
Tony tensed and dashes over to Loki’s room. He could feel his heart pounding as he nearly kicked open the door.  
“Are you insane?”   
“Tony!” She ran after him. “Don’t just bust in like…”  
“Is this because I didn’t ask you to stay or because you just really want to die?” Tony was livid as he looked at the god and he was terrified.  
"Why should I stay?" Loki questioned. "You don't want me. I should remove temptation and end this entire thing. Maybe Fury will be generous and put me out of my misery, you only seem to be causing me more."   
Tony clenched his jaw and suddenly smacked Loki across the face. Pepper gasped at the sudden action and even Tony was a little surprised by what he’d just done.   
“You think I don’t want you? I’m in love with you Loki!” He grabbed the god by the arms and looked into his face. “You can hate yourself all you want but don’t you dare pretend that I feel that way too!”  
"This isn't because I hate myself," Loki shoved him away, "This is because I’m in love with you and I was a damned fool for thinking of acting on it. I should have thought better than to put up with you."  
“Yeah well I guess your life just sucks that way doesn’t it? You’re not going back to SHIELD.” Tony looked at the god sternly, his hands shaking slightly. “You’re staying here with me and if I have to shackle you to the floor then I will!”  
Loki glared at him. "You want me to stay so I can be your friend? Watch you continue to sleep around with any woman you choose?"   
“You want me to stop sleeping around? Then why don’t you date me?” Tony looked at the god. “I’m all yours Reindeer Games!”  
Loki walked over to Stark looking him in the eyes, closely. "Alright then." He replied.   
“Then it’s settled. Loki, you’re my boyfriend starting today.”  
Pepper stood in the door, shocked by the very odd and rather violent exchange. “I’m going to give you two some time.” She walked off, shaking her head. She needed more friends.   
Tony glanced back at Pepper then looked at Loki. “I don’t want you to leave but I know you don’t want to stay. So we’ll just date until you go home.” He looked into the god’s eyes. He didn’t like this; he would rather Loki just stay with him until he dies but this would have to do.  
"I'll leave when I'm fucking ready to. Until that day comes I'm staying here with you." Loki replied.   
Tony blinked as he looked at Loki and shuddered slightly. “I’m not gonna lie, that was pretty hot.”  
Loki rolled his eyes.  
Tony looked at Loki and pursed his lips nervously. “So does this mean you’re going to sleep in my bed or are we going to be like those old fashioned couples that sleep in separate rooms?”  
"Well if that's the case then what are you waiting for?" Loki asked, walking over to his bed.  
Tony watched the god then quickly followed and jumped onto the bed next to him. He looked at Loki, unable to believe they were really dating. Was it really this easy? He smiled a bit, unable to stop himself.  
Loki crashed into his bed, getting comfortable under the covers.   
Tony pulled the god close suddenly, wrapping his arms and legs around Loki. “Say it again.” He smiled.   
"Say what again?" Loki asked.   
“That you love me.” Tony gave Loki a smug little grin.  
"I love you." Loki replied.   
Tony smiled. “I love you too.” He kissed the god softly.  
In her room Pepper was shaking her head. "Those two are going to drive each other nuts."   
Tony fell asleep curled up with Loki. He’d open his eyes every so often during the night, making sure he hadn’t just been dreaming that he and Loki were together.   
The next morning Pepper woke up and asked Jarvis to show her the sleeping pair. "Give me a print of that will you?" She asked.   
"Of course Ms. Potts."  
Jarvis printed up a picture of the two for Pepper and the redhead gave a devious little smile.   
Tony had his face pressed to Loki’s chest, his arms loose around the god’s waist as he slept. He mumbled quietly, twitching a bit.  
Loki pulled away from Tony so he could turn over and find himself in a better comfortable position to sleep in.  
Tony whined and snuggled close to Loki again, sighing.   
"Quite complaining." Loki grumbled.   
Tony mumbled under his breath and opened one eye, frowning at Loki. “You’re a mean boyfriend, you know that?”  
"I never said I was nice." Loki answered.   
Tony scoffed but didn’t let go of Loki. He nuzzled at the god’s neck, taking a deep breath of the smell of his skin. “Jerk.”  
"Whatever." Loki yawned.   
Tony lay there with Loki for a while, just listening to the god’s soft breathing.   
Loki finally woke up for the day and stretched.  
Tony sighed, disappointed but he got up as well. He brushed his fingers through his hair and stretched, getting to his feet.  
Pepper met the pair in the kitchen. "Good morning boys."  
“Morning.” Tony yawned and started making some coffee.  
“Did you two sleep okay?”  
“Yeah, I guess. It was kinda cold though.”  
Loki rolled his eyes as he looked about what to do for his breakfast.  
Pepper couldn’t help but smile a bit. “You two don’t act like you’re dating.”  
“That’s because somebody is a jerk.” Tony shot a pouty glare at Loki and sipped his coffee.  
"He's made because I turned over this morning." Loki replied. "I never said that if we started dating it would be all cuddles and kisses."  
Tony rolled his eyes and shook his head. “So it’s just like before we were dating except now we’re together and I’m still not allowed to hug you.”  
Pepper sighed quietly and got up to get some coffee.”Not everyon is as hands on as you are Tony.”  
Loki walked over to Tony and gave the brunette a hard kiss on the mouth.   
Tony moaned surprised in his throat and his eyes fluttered. He kissed back and Pepper cleared her throat.   
“Boys, I’m right here.”  
Loki pulled back from the kiss and smiled. "I know you are, that was to shut him up."   
Pepper chuckled and shrugged. “Then by all means continue.”  
Tony stood there quietly then picked up his coffee mug and took a long sip. His cheeks were slightly pink.  
"I have to eat." Loki winked at her. He got himself settled with a meal.  
“I think that’s the longest I’ve ever seen him so quiet.”   
Tony looked at the two and frowned.   
"I've seen him quiet for longer." Loki chuckled.   
Pepper smiled. “What did you do last time that made him that quiet?”  
Tony pursed his lips as he frowned at the two and sipped his coffee loudly.   
"Kissed him." Loki answered.   
Pepper nodded. “Yeah that tends to shut him up pretty quickly.”  
“I can hear both of you!”  
Loki leaned across the table and kissed him again.   
Tony kissed back, sighing through his nose. Loki’s lips just felt so good against his own.   
Pepper smiled and shook her head. “He’ll never talk again at this rate.”  
"That's the idea." Loki grinned.   
Pepper laughed and shook her head. Not so surprisingly, Tony remained quiet and frowned at the other two.   
Loki finished eating his breakfast and went to his bedroom once more.  
Pepper watched Loki go then looked at Tony. “So, did you two finally talk?”  
Tony looked at her then away and sighed quietly. “Not really but I think we’ll have that conversation later.”  
She nodded. "Finally. So will you tell the others when Loki is finally off of his probation?"  
Tony sighed heavily, not liking the idea of telling everyone. He wasn’t sure how they would react to his dating Loki, first and foremost because most of the world still considered him a threat.   
“I don’t know. I was thinking of just keeping it secret since we’re only going to be together until he leaves.”  
"Pepper nodded. “Just consider it.” She said.   
Tony wouldn’t just think about it, he’d obsess over it. If he kept it a secret and someone found out, he’d never hear the end of it from Fury. If he told everyone however, they would all harp on him and most likely try to get Loki shipped back to Asgard sooner. He would have to think of something to tell the others though.   
Loki was watching a movie in his room waiting for Tony to join him when he was ready.  
Tony finished his coffee then wandered over to Loki’s room. He gave a playful little smile.   
“Aw, is this our first date?”  
"No." Loki replied. "But you are welcomed to join me.”  
Tony’s smile fell and he gave the god a little frown. He went over to the bed however and sat with him. “Have you ever dated anybody before?”  
"Dating is not the same in Asgard. It's a courtship." Loki replied. "If you like someone you give them little gifts, take walks, share a meal or two and then ask for their hand in marriage."   
Tony nodded slowly, clearly taken aback. “So like the fifties here.” He chuckled a bit. “All right, then let’s have dinner.” He gave a playful smile.   
"Where did you have in mind?" Loki asked.   
“There’s a little place not far from here. It’s really fancy so I can get us a room all to ourselves. That way you don’t have to wear the sunglasses.” Tony smiled. “I think you’ll like it, it has different kinds of foreign cuisine.”  
Loki nodded. "That sounds like a reasonable plan." He smiled.  
Tony grinned. “Then it’s a date. Jarvis, go ahead and reserve us a room at Fenni’s.”


	84. Chapter 84

“Already done Sir.”  
“Thanks.”  
Loki smiled at him. "Well this should be a date to remember." Loki said.  
Tony smiled at the god and nudged him playfully. “Oh yeah.” He chuckled and snuggled back to watch the movie.   
Later that evening, they got ready to go out for dinner. Tony wore one of his more casual suits without the jacket; it was pretty hot that evening.  
Loki did much the same but he didn't have a jacket of a tie and everything seemed to fit him as if it were made for him.  
Tony stepped out of his room then whistled his appreciation when he saw Loki. “Look at you.”  
Loki smiled. "I thought you would like it."   
“Well I do, so good job.” Tony winked at the god then walked out to the car with him.   
Loki opened the door to Tony first.   
Tony blinked, rather confused. He’d never had one of his dates do that for him, not even the men he’d dated in the past. He smiled at Loki and opened the passenger door for him before getting into the driver’s seat.  
Loki got into the car and looked back over at Stark. There would be no kissy kissy moments that night. Not with agents that reported their every move.  
Tony drove up to the restaurant with Loki and went inside with the god. As usual, a room was cleared out specifically for Tony; being VIP, it was always reserved.   
“Oh by the way, they have a sample dish.” Tony looked at Loki as he sat down.  
"I think I have a decent idea of what I might want." Loki replied.   
“Might I get you both started with some drinks?” The waitress went over to the two with a polite smile.   
“Yeah, I’ll have my usual.” Tony looked through the menu.   
“And for you Sir?” She looked at Loki.  
"I'll have what he's having." Loki replied. The waitress nodded and left them to go find their drinks. Loki finally found something he could see himself eating.  
Tony smiled when he found something on the menu he really wanted to try. “So, you know what you want?” Tony looked at Loki and set his menu to the side.  
Loki nodded slowly. When the waitress came back she took their orders and asked Loki if he wanted soup or salad. He agreed to a salad.  
Tony made his order as well then handed his menu to the young woman. He watched her go then looked at Loki.   
“I talked to Thor about getting you something so you can talk to your mom. Sounds like she’s been using him to check on you.”   
Loki nodded. "Perhaps." he said.   
Tony smiled a bit at the god then looked up as their drinks were brought.   
“Your food will be out shortly.” The waitress set their drinks down then left again.  
Loki nodded. "Thank you."   
Tony sipped his drink slowly. They didn’t exactly have hard liquor, but Tony enjoyed a glass of wine every now and then.   
“You like it?” Tony looked at Loki, swirling his drink a bit before setting it down.  
Loki nodded. "Though I think you'd like Asgardian wines better than anything Midgard could offer."  
Tony grinned and shrugged. “I’ll have to ask Thor to bring some the next time he goes to Asgard.”   
"He'll want to drink with you then. I'd rather cook for us and share it together."   
“I’ll throw some Poptarts out a window so he’ll be distracted.” Tony grinned smugly and sipped his drink again.   
The waitress returned with their food and set it on the table.   
“Here you are. Will you be needing anything else?”  
Loki shook his head. "No, thank you." He said.  
Tony shook his head as well then started on his meal. He hummed in appreciation and licked his lips.   
“They have the best steaks I’ve ever tasted.”  
Loki had ordered a seafood dish. He hummed, savoring the taste.  
Tony watched Loki for a moment. It was hard to believe just how elegant the god could look doing the simplest things. He blinked and went back to his meal.   
"Something wrong?” Loki asked.   
“Do you do that on purpose or do you just look sexy all the time?” Tony looked at Loki as he asked this.   
Loki smiled at him. "That's just how I look." He replied. "Can't handle it?"   
Tony chuckled and shook his head. “No, I can handle it just fine.” He winked at the god and sipped his wine.   
"Sure you can." Loki answered.   
Tony looked at Loki and gave him a playful smile. “Is that a challenge?”  
"Wouldn’t be much of one."   
The playboy smiled and took another bite of his steak.   
When they’d finished their meal, Tony ordered a dessert for Pepper. Thankfully the waitress remembered what Pepper always ordered.  
“She likes figs?” Tony made a face.   
"I can take them back if you want and bring you the dessert menu."   
“No, it’s fine. I don’t want anything.” Tony looked at Loki. “You want some dessert?”  
Loki shook his head. "No, thank you."   
Tony nodded and paid for their dinner before leaving with Loki.   
“You know, it’s customary to kiss your boyfriend after he gets you a nice dinner.” Tony said with a straight face, though there was a playful gleam in his eyes.   
Loki leaned in and stopped short of Tony's lips. "You know it’s disgusting to think that just because you aid for dinner you deserve a kiss. But I truly hope you are mostly joking." Loki said and kissed Tony's cheek. "Thank you."   
Tony blinked and gave the god a cheeky smile. “You’re welcome.” He opened the car door for Loki then got in on the other side. “And I was joking.” He started up the car.  
"Some people don't joke." Loki replied. "Women in Asgard would not stand for the way women are treated here." Loki replied.   
Tony glanced at Loki as he drove back to the house with Loki. “A lot of women here don’t stand for it either. Guess it’s different on Asgard though. Everybody there’s built for war.” At least that was the way it seemed to Tony after he’d met Loki and Thor.   
"Any woman if she so chose could easily beat a man." He said. "We dont consider women to be weak. It takes a great human being to push another another out." Loki replied.   
“Sounds like humans could learn a thing or two from you then.” Tony parked in front of the house and paused a moment then looked at Loki. “Just umm, just out of curiosity, would you…?” The rest of the words caught in his throat.   
"Would I what?" Loki asked.  
Tony moved his mouth and hands, trying to get the words out then cleared his throat. “Umm, forget it.” He gave Loki a little smile then got out of the car with Pepper’s dessert in hand. He could feel his heart racing in his chest.   
"You can tell me." Loki called.   
Tony looked back at the god for a moment but the words wouldn’t come out. He didn’t have the right to be this selfish. Loki had children in Asgard. Even if he didn’t have any friends, he had children that missed him. The playboy shook his head.   
“It was stupid.”  
Loki grabbed Tony's hand and pulled him back so Tony's back met his chest. "You can tell me."   
Tony tensed for a moment in the god’s embrace then sighed. He ran his tongue along his teeth, looking at the ground.   
“Would you,” He paused and swallowed thickly. “Would you consider staying here with me?”  
"For a time yes." Loki replied. "Or until our relationship has run its course."  
Tony glanced at Loki then looked away and nodded quietly. He was thinking too far ahead with this. He was assuming that there was a chance he and Loki would last more than a few weeks. What if they didn’t?   
“I didn’t meant to put you on the spot. It was just…it was a stupid question.”  
"You didn't. It's alright.” Loki replied.   
Tony nodded and walked back inside with Loki. He set the dessert in the fridge then got a drink from the bar.   
“So, can I ask more about your kids now? Or is that still off limits?”  
"Off limits." Loki replied.   
Tony sighed but shrugged. Well, he supposed if they weren’t even going to be together that long, he wasn’t losing out on a whole lot. He took a sip of his drink and sat at the table.  
"Don't take it personal but my children are a very sensitive subject to me and not something I can talk about easily."   
Tony shook his head slightly. “Forget I asked. I know how you get about your life, especially your kids.” He looked at the god then finished off his drink.  
"I haven't seen them in a long time." Loki said.   
“I kind of figured.” Tony looked at the god and gave a little smile. “I tried to get Thor to tell me about them but he told me to ask you.”   
"Because the last time my brother shared information about me I ended up getting hurt a great deal."   
Tony looked at Loki for a moment then stood and walked over to him. “I know you’re not big on trusting and I honestly don’t blame you but you don’t have to act like I’m going to do the same thing.” He hesitated a moment then held Loki’s hand and looked into his eyes. “Come on, it’s late.”  
"I never said that you would." Loki replied. When they made it to the bedroom Loki stripped down and changed his clothes for bed.  
Tony got down to his boxers then lay on the bed. He looked over and Loki and smiled. “You know you look pretty sexy, all things considered.”  
Loki looked at him. "What do you mean all things considered?"   
“You don’t look like the kind of guy that will have a lot of muscle. Well, by human standards.” Tony shrugged as he looked the god over. Loki really was handsome, not to mention well built. “You’re a lot sexier than you look under all that leather.”  
"All Jotuns are built like I am, only taller." He said.   
Tony quirked a brow and smiled slowly. “So there’s a whole planet covered in things that look like you huh?”   
"More or less." Loki replied. "Jotuns are ten to fifteen feet tall."  
Tony paused and tried to imagine that for a moment. He made a puzzled face then shrugged. “I can dig that. I think.” He rested back against the pillows.   
"Maybe one day you will see them." Loki replied.   
In Asgard Thor was having a walk with his father. "He's come a long way from who he was father." Thor said.   
"I know, Heimdall tells me what he does every time he checks on him." the Allfather said.   
"Then why do you want to hold his magic from him still?" Thor asked.  
"It is my decision to give it back to him and I still feel he is not yet ready for it. But the day is coming soon when he will."   
Thor looked at his father and sighed but didn’t argue. Often times his father’s decisions didn’t make sense to him until the very last minute. The prince looked out over the balcony, quiet for a moment before speaking.   
“I miss having him here Father.”  
Odin nodded and put a hand on Thor’s shoulder.   
“As do I. Were I able to take back everything that has happened, I would.”  
“What’s it like there, where the other frost giants live?” Tony could only imagine that it had to be very cold.  
Loki thought for a moment.   
"There's are nine realms." Loki explained. "Each realm is different in its own way with different races of beings on them." Loki with the help of Jarvis helped explain the nine to Stark and where everyone was in the universe.  
Tony listened in silence and complete awe. He looked at the hologram that Jarvis created with Loki’s description.   
“Wow. Who would have guessed? So this one’s Asgard?” He pointed to one of the realms which appeared to have a more golden glow to it.  
"Yes." Loki nodded. "This is Jotunheim. The realm is made of nothing but ice and stone. The creatures and jotuns have learned for live in such harsh conditions."  
Tony’s eyes widened slightly as he tried to imagine that. “Doesn’t sound like the greatest place to live.”  
"Maybe not, but each realm makes its own way in life." He said. "The Jotuns rule there and aside from the lack of having the casket they are doing fairly well since I tried to destroy them."   
Tony looked at Loki then back at the hologram. “Guess it’s kinda hard to go back from something like that.”  
"I have not been back. Since I fell from the bridge I have not been back." He said.   
Tony was silent for a moment as they sat there in the room.   
“When you go back home, will you ever come back here?” Tony looked at Loki curiously.   
"Most likely. I have to protect this realm now." Loki replied.   
“Well, at least the world has a cute protector now.” Tony gave a little smile then got under the covers.  
Loki joined him. "For the most part." He said.   
Tony smiled. “Good night Reindeer Games.”  
"Good night." Loki replied settling in against him.  
Tony woke up the next morning with Loki’s arms around his waist. He frowned as he began to open his eyes then glanced back, smiling sleepily.   
Loki's hair spread out across the pillow in a feather like way.  
Tony shifted slightly so he was more comfortable but tried his best not to wake Loki. He wanted to enjoy this little moment of peace.   
“Sir, Director is on the line.”  
There goes the moment. Tony grumbled and reached for his phone.   
“Yeah?”  
Loki started to wake up when he felt Tony begin to shift around. He didn’t say anything as he saw him on the phone.  
“We might have a situation. How soon can you get back to New York?”  
“Two hours if we gun it. What’s going on?”  
“Hard to say right now but we have intel that there’s another fluctuation in energy.”  
“Another portal?” Tony frowned puzzled.   
“It seems like it, but we can’t be sure.”  
“All right, we’ll be there in a few hours.”  
Loki started to fully wake up when he heard that there might be another portal open for them.   
Tony hung up then looked back at Loki. “Vacation’s over.” He sighed and gave the god a quick kiss before starting to pack his things.   
Pepper walked towards the room, having gotten a short text from Fury as well. “Guess this means we’re leaving?”   
“Yeah, the world is in danger again.”   
"But we've only been here for two days." Loki said. He growled as he grabbed his things. "Every damn time." He grumbled.   
"I'll finish out my vacation in New York at the tower." Pepper said.   
“See you later Pep.”   
The redhead nodded then went to get her things together.   
Tony finished packing and took his things out to the car.  
Loki joined him and sighed.   
Tony got onto the jet with Loki and they flew just a bit faster this time. Tony called Pepper to make sure she was all right then looked at Loki.   
“Sorry.” He smiled a bit.


	85. Chapter 85

"It’s hardly your fault." Loki said.   
Tony chuckled and shrugged. “Yeah guess you’re right.”  
They landed back in New York nearly three hours later and quickly headed to SHIELD for a debriefing.   
The other Avengers were already there, waiting to hear what was going on.  
"What's he doing here?" Clint asked, when he saw Loki appear.  
"He's just as much a part of this team as you are Barton and if it is what we think it is we'll need his help." Fury said.  
"Some help he is. I thought they closed all the portals." Natasha pointed out.  
"We closed all the ones that we had our targets set on. This one is new to all of us." Loki said.   
“Guys, how about we save the fights for after we get this done?” Steve looked at Natasha and Clint sternly then back up at the hologram. He frowned puzzled. “That doesn’t look like the others ones.”  
“That’s why I called all of you in. The other portals gave off the same energy signature and behaved, roughly, the same. This one is giving off a different energy signature but it hasn’t opened yet.”  
“Just how big is it?” Tony asked as he looked at the image. It changed to give a comparison; the portal was nearly the size of a two story house.   
"We need to go and go now. The sooner it closes the better." Loki wondered what or rather who was trying to come through. He hoped it wasn't someone he didn't want to see.  
“I got a hold of Thor in case this gets ugly, so let’s hope it doesn’t.”   
Everyone nodded and went out to the jets to be flown to the scene.   
Tony pulled out his phone and called back to the tower.   
“Jarvis, send my suit.”  
“It is en route now Sir.”  
Loki felt his magic return to him and his armor materialized onto him.   
Tony’s suit flew beside the jet as they moved to the location. He felt a strange tightness in his stomach as they arrived and he kept glancing at Loki nervously.   
Everyone got off, weapons ready just in case anything came through. Tony’s suit snapped onto him and he did a quick scan of the area.   
“I don’t think anything got through.”  
Loki nodded as he started to close off the portal but was having a hard time of doing so when something on the other end started to force its way through.  
"Do something!" He shouted.   
The others quickly started to try and push the thing back, but it clearly didn’t want to play nice. It howled loudly and kept trying to force its way through. Tony charged his blaster and hit it twice in the head. That seemed to stun it at least, though it also made the creature angry.   
“Loki, let that thing through and close the portal! As long as it’s only one, we can handle it!” Tony spoke to the god through his ear piece then fired again.   
Thor arrived soon enough and he threw his hammer at the thing without stopping to ask.   
The force of Thor's hammer sent the creature flying back. "Thor!" Loki looked at the larger blonde.  
Thor quickly called Mjolnir back and ran to his brother. “Someone is trying to send it through Loki!” He swung his hammer, ready to throw again. “Close the portal, I will force the creature back!”  
Tony lowered his hand when he saw Thor. Well that would certainly help. He charged his blaster again and shot a blast right after Thor hit the thing with his hammer again.   
“Thor! Hit it and I’ll shoot!”  
Focusing his attention on the portal Loki didn't see the creature that broad sided him, taking the god off his feet.   
"Stupid Odin child." The being grabbed him by the neck and tried to pin him.   
Tony snarled and flew into the other being head on, tackling it to the ground.   
“Back off!”  
Thor glanced at Loki then quickly put his attention back on the larger creature. He threw his hammer again.   
“Stay back!” He warned the others.   
Steve nodded then looked towards Loki and the other being. When had that thing slipped through?  
Being apple to breathe again Loki dragged himself to his feet and started on the spell again.  
Tony did his best to keep the other being away from Loki, though he was starting to regret his strategy. He blasted at the creature, forcing it away from Loki as much as he could.   
Steve went over to help Tony as much as he could. He threw his shield at the other beast, knocking it back.   
Thor threw his hammer at the larger creature again, knocking it back past the portal.   
"Loki you want to work a little faster." Natasha said and she and Clint ran over to him to cover his back while he worked.   
The beast Steve and Tony were fighting was a lot stronger than it let on. It charged at Steve, knocking the super soldier into the trees before turning to Tony.   
“Out of my way, Midgardian!”  
Tony snorted. “Yeah sure.”  
A shrill scream was heard before something barreled into Natasha, Loki and Clint. The creature that rolled into them was large, green and ugly.  
Thor looked back and threw his hammer at the thing, managing to throw it onto its side. The creature shook its head and growled out loudly, going straight for Loki. Natasha and Clint quickly rolled out of the way, knowing they weren’t much use against the thing. The Hulk ran out suddenly and tackled it.   
Tony glanced back.   
“Loki!” He couldn’t see the god from where he stood. The smaller beast tackled Tony to the ground and tried to stab him, but the blade didn’t get past the armor. Tony gripped onto it tight and flew up into the air.   
The second knock made Loki a bit dizzy but he quickly recovered and got back to work.  
Thor threw Mjolnir at the beast in the portal knocking it back. "Brother close the portal I will go through and finish off the creature."  
Loki nodded, doing as he was told.  
Tony flew down quickly, spinning and disorienting the creature that hung onto him. He zoomed by the portal and threw the thing inside.   
“Tony, we’ve got one more over here!”  
The Hulk was quite content taking care of the last beast. He smashed at its head and abdomen, not giving the thing much space to fight back.   
With a few more well placed hits the creature died by Hulk's hand.   
Tony sighed as the last creature finally stopped fighting. He flipped up his face mask then turned to Loki, his eyes widening in dread.   
“Loki!”  
These things didn’t want to quit. A smaller beast darted out of the bushes and tackled Loki, stabbing him through the side with a twisted black blade. Tony blasted the thing back, shooting it over and over as he made his way towards Loki.   
Thor rushed to his brother’s side and checked the wound.   
Loki pushed them both away and looked at the portal. "Stand back." He said, stumbling a bit as he stood. His blood soaked his hand as he worked on closing the portal still. It was nearly there, he was so close.  
Tony could feel his hands shaking as he watched Loki. He had to try and focus, remember that they were on a mission and Loki was the only one that close the portal. The last creature lay dead on the ground, full of holes from Tony’s blaster.   
Thor watched tensely as the portal closed then stepped towards Loki. “Brother, we…”  
Before he could finish, Tony scooped the god into his arms and took off.   
“Can you heal that with magic?” Tony asked as he headed straight back to the tower. At least he could patch Loki up until he could get a real doctor to look at the wound.   
Loki had no time to protest, before Stark snatched him up and carried him off. He could already feel his magic leaving him.  
"No." He whispered back, growing tired and quickly.  
Tony cursed under his breath, flying as fast as he could until they reached the tower. He landed and quickly made his way to the medical bay of the tower. He’d had it built when all the others were still living there. He set Loki on one of the bed and threw off the gloves of his suit.   
“Jarvis I need your help.”  
"Anthony stop." Loki ordered. "I'll be fine." He wanted to know what attacked him.   
Tony pinned Loki down, his jaw clenched. “You’re bleeding. And until I’m sure that you won’t die, you’re not moving off this bed.” He looked at Loki with absolute fear in his eyes then reached for one of the medical kits.   
Thor burst into the medical bay not long after with a jar in hand.   
“Anthony, use this.” He handed it to Tony.   
“What the hell is that?”  
“They are salves from Asgard, they will help him heal.”  
Loki reached for the jar. "Rest now brother I will handle it.” He said.   
Thor opened the jar and handed it to Loki. “The creatures were sent by Mephisto. It seems he is quite upset with you Brother.” Thor looked at Loki then averted his gaze. “Heimdall found him and Father is sending guards as we speak.”  
Tony listened quietly, much less tense now that Loki could heal better.   
Loki's hands were beginning to shake from the loss of blood.   
"Let me." Thor said, moving Tony out of the way so he could work on him.   
Tony watched as Thor tended to his brother. “Can I do anything?”  
Thor looked at Tony and smiled a bit. “I am afraid not my friend. This is very different from a typical Midgardian wound. Let me tend to Loki.”  
Loki's hand reached out searching for Tony's.   
Tony quickly went to the god’s side and held his hand. “Do you need anything?”   
Thor patched the wound as best he could and applied the salves carefully. “He will need to rest after losing so much blood.”  
“Why are you so calm about this? He nearly bled to death!”  
Thor looked at Tony and chuckled. “He is a warrior, Anthony Stark. This is probably one of the smallest wounds I have seen my brother receive. He will survive fine.”  
Tony’s jaw dropped as he looked at Thor. This was small?  
"You must remember my brother and I have seen battle fields." Thor pointed out. "This would hardly kill him."   
Thor was right. It would hardly kill him; put him out of commission for a day or two but wouldn't kill him.  
Tony huffed but at least Loki would be all right. He looked at the god, clearly still upset.   
“I’ll move you up to your room in a little bit.” Tony gave Loki a little smile, trying to make himself relax a little bit.  
Thor chuckled and shook his head. “You will grow old very quickly worrying so much.” Thor looked at Loki and smiled. “If there is anything else you need from home, I shall bring it.” Thor pulled a small mirror out of his satchel. “Mother sent this for you. I am sure you already know how it works.” The thunder god looked at Tony then turned on his heel.   
Loki nodded softly drifting off to sleep, the mirror was held tightly to his chest.   
Tony watched Thor go then looked back at Loki. He left only long enough to get out of his armor before returning to the god’s side. He got Loki as comfortable as he could then sat by the bed.   
“You did well Sir.”  
“I couldn’t do anything so I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
“You cannot fix everything alone Sir. And I do not know if you noticed, but Thor and Loki were in the same room together.”  
Tony paused and realized that was true. The two hadn’t actually seen each other in months and hadn’t spoken at all since Loki had been brought in to SHIELD.   
"I think you did very well, Sir." Jarvis said. "And that you brought him to the tower with enough time to help him if Thor had not shown up when he did."  
Tony shrugged and watched over Loki as the god slept.   
“You monitoring him?”  
“Of course Sir. His vitals are a bit low but he is stable.”  
“How’s everybody else?”  
“No one else was injured too seriously Sir, though Captain Rogers is quite bruised after being thrown.”  
“Bruce on his way?”  
"He is, Sir. The portal is completely closed and both creatures destroyed." Jarvis informed him.  
“Good. Go ahead and let Bruce in when he gets here.”  
“Of course Sir.”  
“How’s Fury?”  
“He seems quite upset Sir, though he is more concerned with the portal at the moment.”  
At least the man wasn’t trying to force Loki to go back to the site to help with ‘clean up.’ As if they actually cleaned anything after a mission.  
"The portal is closed and all traces of it are gone."   
“Keep an eye out in case more of them pop up.”  
“Of course Sir. Also, Dr. Banner has arrived.”  
Bruce headed to the medical bay after Jarvis told him there’s where Loki was. He smiled at his friend as he walked over.   
“How’s he doing?”  
“Thor said he’ll be fine, he just needs to sleep it off.”  
"Did you clean, stitch and wrap it?" Bruce asked.  
“Thor did, actually. He put some magic gack on there that’s supposed to heal him. I just stood to the side panicking like an idiot.”  
Bruce chuckled and shook his head. “Hey, you got him back here alive.”  
“Yeah, that was a big contribution.” Tony sighed and looked at Loki. “But he’s okay.”  
"Jarvis I need you to give me a reading on Loki's vitals just to be sure."  
“I have been monitoring his vitals constantly since he arrived.” Jarvis pulled up a chart of Loki’s vitals for Bruce to see.   
“I asked Thor about it. Guess this is actually just a scratch for him.”  
"Just a scratch?" Bruce asked.  
"Thor was very calm as he tended to Loki. He said he's seen his brother at much worse."  
“Yeah. Guess it helps that he’s a god. He may not have magic but he’s still a lot more durable than we are. The blade didn’t puncture anything vital.”  
"No, just managed to catch him really well making him bleed. He'll be perfectly fine." Bruce said.   
Tony sighed quietly and nodded. “So umm, can I tell you something?”  
“What?” Bruce sat down with Tony.   
The inventor pursed his lips for a moment then cleared his throat. “Loki and I are dating.”  
Bruce looked at him. "Are you out of your fucking mind? Do you know what's going to happen when Fury finds out?"  
Tony looked at Bruce unimpressed. “Well since I’ve never met Fury before no, I don’t know how he’ll react.”  
“Tony this is serious.”  
“I know that Bruce. Why else do you think I haven’t told him?”   
Bruce sighed. "You and Loki had better be careful." Bruce said.  
“We are being careful Bruce. Besides, it’s not going to last long.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Loki’s going to go back home when he’s done serving his sentence here. I just thought...” Tony looked at his hands then up at Loki. “I just thought it’d be nice if we weren’t lonely that entire time.”  
"You are not going to do that. I highly doubt he'd up and leave in a heart beat like that." Bruce explained.


	86. Chapter 86

“Well gee let’s compare: his entire family is in Asgard, not to mention his kids.” Tony looked at Bruce. “He doesn’t want to be here and I can’t blame him. What does he have to look forward to if he’s stuck here?”  
"Tony he can go back and forth." Bruce said. "If he loves you enough he might stay with you."  
Tony looked at Bruce for a moment then back at Loki. What if Loki did want to stay? But then what if he didn’t?   
“I’m not going to make him stay here Bruce. He deserves to be somewhere he can be happy.” Tony spoke quietly and lowered his gaze.   
He sighed. "You should get some rest."  
Tony chuckled dryly and looked at Bruce. “Seriously? I’ll be fine. Besides, I wanna make sure Loki’s okay.”  
"Then why don't you help me get him out of his armor?" Bruce said.   
“Just be careful; he has really touch reflexes.” Tony had been whacked enough times trying to wake Loki up to know. He helped Bruce remove Loki’s armor slowly so the god could sleep easier.   
Loki shifted slightly but struck out against none of them. Sighing he stayed where he was.  
Tony looked at Loki then set his armor to the side.  
The wound was already healing up. The bleeding had stopped.  
Tony’s eyes widened slightly; you could see, if you looked closely enough, how quickly the wound was sealing up. Bruce stared in awe and leaned closer.   
“That’s incredible.”  
"They should start making this stuff on Earth." Bruce said.  
Tony chuckled a bit and nodded. “Yeah, no kidding.”  
Loki stayed asleep for the rest of the night. Bruce left Tony to keep an eye on him.   
Tony ended up falling asleep on the chair. He’d grabbed a blanket and some pillows then passed out next to Loki.  
When Loki came around it was mid morning. His wound being reduced to an ugly looking thing where the skin had not finish forming over it and there was a giant bruise of different shades sitting there.  
Tony slept still, groaning quietly and twitching every so often. He shifted on the chair, frowning.   
“Loki…”  
Loki pushed himself into a sitting position. A hiss of pain breaking from him.   
“Stay back!” Tony jolted awake and looked around in panic, only relaxing when he saw Loki. “Oh, it’s just you.” He sighed and stretched then got up. “How are you feeling?”  
"Better." He answered. Bending over Loki tried to get out of the rest of his armor. "Water, please."   
Tony got Loki a cup with some water and put a few ice cubes in there as well. He handed it to the god. “Bruce says it’s better for you to chew on the ice also.”  
"Why do I need to chew on ice?" Loki questioned.   
“Slow hydration. He doesn’t want you to choke.” Tony shrugged and sat on the edge of the medical bed. “You want to go upstairs now?”  
"I'm not going to choke." he said. Still holding his side Loki pushed himself up exhaling as he did so. "Come on, you slept in a chair and it shows."  
Tony put his arm around the god’s waist to help him get back upstairs. “I always look like this.” Tony smiled playfully.  
Loki rolled his eyes. When they reached the bedroom Loki pulled the rest of his armor off so he was in just his underwear.  
Tony helped Loki onto the bed and looked the god over for a moment. He could see faint scars all over Loki’s skin. He reached out and followed a particularly long one going down the god’s side with his finger.   
“How did this happen?”  
Loki chuckled. "That was first my very first hunting accident. Thor, the warrior's three, Sif and myself when far into the mountains of Vanaheim. We didn't know about the beast that lived there. The monster was this great ugly creature, with eyes the color of soot, and a body made of scales and skin. Claws inches long." Loki recalled.  
Tony shuddered slightly as he looked at Loki. “I’m guessing it attacked you?”  
"Yes." Loki answered. "But this wasn't until after I shoved Thor out of the way. He proceeded to blame me for my injury."  
Tony frowned when he heard this. “Are any of these not Thor’s fault?”  
"A great number of them are not his fault but some are." Loki replied.   
Tony traced a few of the scars softly, wondering where each one had come from. Many looked old and faded; a few looked fresh. He reached the freshest wound on Loki’s stomach.   
“Well now you have one because of me too.”  
"Don't sat that. This isn't because you. If I had the choice I would do it again."  
Tony looked at Loki and gave him a half-hearted smile. “You’d get stabbed again? Sounds like you didn’t learn your lesson then.”  
"I never learned the first time."  
Tony chuckled a bit, brushing his fingers across Loki’s skin slowly. “Yeah I see that. I’m tempted to take a pen and connect all your scars to make a drawing.”  
"Don't." He said.  
“I didn’t say I was actually going to do it.” Tony looked at Loki then gave him a playful smile. “Rest up Reindeer Games.” Tony got off the bed.   
"You very well know you were thinking of doing it while I'm sleep."  
Tony’s smile grew and he shrugged. “Hey, at least I was going to let you rest first.”  
Loki rolled his eyes.  
Tony left the room so Loki could get some rest. He walked out to the living room and jumped slightly when he saw Fury.   
“Jesus.”  
“Not exactly.”  
“Don’t you know how to knock like a normal person?”  
“I thought I’d surprise you.” Fury walked over to Tony and took something out of his pocket. “You and Loki are getting pretty close, huh?”  
Tony tensed as he looked at Fury. “Considering he lives here, yes.” He replied sarcastically, trying to stay calm.   
"What did I tell you about getting too close Stark?" Fury questioned. "I wasn't joking when I said that."   
“I’m not getting too close.”  
“Oh really?” Fury started laying out pictures of Tony and Loki from each time they had gone out. “This is you not getting too close?”  
Tony clenched his jaw but didn’t look at Fury as he spoke. “You’re wrong about him and you know it.”  
“He’s a psychopath Stark. But then I suppose it’s easy to forget that when he flirts with you, isn’t it?”  
“Did you ever stop to think that he’s telling the truth about being tortured and mind controlled by the Chitauri?”  
"Do you ever remember that he's the god of lies?" Fury asked. "He can spin a web faster than you can follow it Stark."  
“That only works when he has magic which he doesn’t!” Tony snapped at the man and frowned at him. “That’s what makes his lies believable is the magic that’s woven into them. He doesn’t have magic right now Fury so tell me how I’m the one being fooled here?”  
"Because you're willing to believe anything. I bet if I put pal Norman in front of you, you'd believe he didnt want to do what he did for hydra."  
“Don’t bring him into this Fury.”   
“Why, because it proves I’m right?”  
“It doesn’t prove anything.” Tony got in the man’s face. “Thor’s the one that told me Loki’s ability to lie is tied to his magic so if you don’t want to believe me, go talk to him about it.”  
“I already have multiple times Stark and he’s told me time and time again that his brother is insane!”  
“Loki isn’t insane, he was tortured! First by the Chitauri then by you when he was captured!”  
Fury pulled back. "I did what I needed to do to keep him in line."   
“No, you did what you wanted because you’re Nick Fury and no one does anything bad on your watch. Oh, except for when you hire a bunch of former assassins to work for you!”  
“Both Agent Romanov and Barton have turned for the better Stark!”  
“And so has Loki! Why is it so hard to believe that wants to move past all the shit you’re accusing him of?”  
“Because you saw what he did. How he had Barton controlled. I don't need another one being captured." Fury said.  
“He was under the same thing!”  
“Watch your tone with me Stark! Right now I’m not exactly happy with you for all the shit you’ve given me! You’ve compromised the Avengers with your behavior and you’ve put this mission in jeopardy.” Fury scowled at Tony. “I’m taking Loki back into SHIELD custody.”  
Tony’s eyes widened. “You can’t do that, he’s not a prisoner anymore!”  
"Keep it up and I will make him into a prisoner again." Fury said. "He's going back to come back with us."  
"Director Fury I must urge against this. Taking him back will only leave him in declining health once more." Jarvis said.  
“You say that like you think I give a damn.”   
Several SHIELD agents stormed the tower suddenly, holding Tony while five others went to get Loki from his room.


	87. Chapter 87

“He’s done nothing but help us Fury! If it weren’t for him at least two of us would be dead and you’d have portals open all over the damn planet!” Tony struggled against the agents, trying to get to Loki.  
Shirtless, barefoot and his wound still clear as day Loki was being flanked by four guards.   
Fury frowned when he saw Loki's wound. "How it happen?"  
"The battle yesterday. Not that you really care."  
Fury scowled at the god then looked at the guards. “Be careful with him when you take him back and give him a fresh uniform. He’s going to block B.”  
The agents all nodded and took Loki out.   
“You can’t take him back there!” Tony struggled more against the agents holding him, watching as Loki was taken away. “I’ll get you out of there, I promise!”  
“No you won’t Stark. You make a move to break him out and not only will I remove you from the Avengers but you’ll be put on a watch list for aiding a criminal.”   
Tony frowned at the man, his breathing ragged. “Then go ahead and put my name on the list now.”  
"Don't be stupid Stark." Loki said. "Let it go." Loki shook his head letting the guards take him away.  
Tony looked at the god and frowned at him confused. He clenched his jaw but stopped struggling.   
“It’s easier when you just let things happen instead of throwing a tantrum.” Fury looked at Tony, pleased with himself then left with Loki and the agents.   
Tony stood in the tower then sat down, feeling his knees give way.   
“You tried Sir. You did what you could.”  
Tony sat still, clenching his hands together.   
Loki was thrown into his new cell. Looking around he sat on the cot.  
"I hope you like your new home."  
Fury looked at Loki, watching him through the glass. This was the way things should be, the way they had to be. Loki was mental, even Thor had said so during the invasion.   
"Taunting me is I'll advised. You got what you wanted without a fight."  
“No, what’s ill-advised is attacking my home and then worming your way into the mind of one of my least stable Avengers.” Fury spoke into the intercom. “Just what was the point of tricking Stark into thinking you two are friends?”  
"I never tricked him. It was nice to know what having a real friend was like." He said.  
“Cut the bull Laufeyson. Whatever lies you told Stark, they won’t fly over with me.”   
“Sir, I would stop drinking Vodka if I were you. You know how it upsets your stomach.”  
Tony sat at the bar with ten bottles out and a single glass in his hand. He’d placed calls everywhere he could but, not surprisingly, no one wanted to help.   
“They’re gonna kill him in there Jarvis. Fury’s going to make sure Loki’s locked away so long he doesn’t remember what sunlight is.”   
Loki stood up and slowly walked over to the glass. "I've spent my entire life alone. I grew up alone, surrounded by people. Putting me in here only takes away the background noise." Loki said.   
“You’re powerless and under my thumb. I don’t really see any reason why I should be worried about you right now.”  
"I don’t expect you to be; like you said you have me under your thumb. But know this, I'm not scared of you."   
“I don’t need you scared of me Laufeyson. I already have what I wanted.” With that, the Director turned on his heel and left Loki alone in his cell.   
Loki rolled his eyes. Looking at the walls of his cell Loki thought of the two markers he sneaked off the desk while they were searching him. Pulling it out of his sleeve Loki started on one wall and started writing everything he could think of from the spells he used to practice.  
“Jarvis, did you know one of Loki’s scars kinda looks like an emoticon?”  
“I did not Sir.”  
“Yeah.” Tony snorted at the thought. “It’s pretty funny.” He sighed then rubbed his hands over his face. “I need to get him out of there.”  
“I know you want to protect him Sir, but even if you did manage to get Mr. Laufeyson out of SHIELD, you and he would be hunted and he would be a criminal again. There would be no end to SHIELD’s hold over him.”  
Tony frowned and reached for another bottle.   
When Loki woke up he found himself laid out on the floor with half the wall covered in spells and the first marker nearly dry from use.  
Natasha shook her head as she watched Loki. “He did that all night?”  
Fury nodded. “All he did was scribble on the walls and talk to himself.”  
“You don’t have the heaters on.”  
“For as annoying as he might be, Stark is right; Laufeyson is no longer a prisoner. He’s on probation so he’s being kept in a regular cell.”  
"So what you're going to keep him here until we need him for a mission?" Nat questioned.   
"Not unless we really need him. If it’s another portal situation then by all means. But for now he's getting to close too stark." Fury explained. He and Natasha watched as Loki ignored them and went on with his writing.  
“Sending him with Stark was a bad idea from the beginning.”  
“I didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to let Laufeyson get into his head. Guess I was wrong.”   
"Stark's unstable, should have thought better of the decision but it was either leave him in his old cell or send him with possibly you or Barton and have him get killed. I don’t want him dead I want him to suffer."   
Natasha glanced at Fury then looked back at Loki. “That I can agree on.”  
Three weeks passed since Loki was taken back to SHIELD and, as he has guessed, Tony wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near the god. Fury wouldn’t even tell him how Loki was doing and it was really starting to grind on Tony’s nerves.   
“Thor’s asked for him twice already.”   
“Then you keep telling him his brother doesn’t want to talk.” Fury frowned as he spoke into the phone.  
“He doesn’t deserve to be in there.” Tony   
"If you'd like I can make you feel better by putting you behind bars for the weapons you made as well." Fury pointed out.  
Loki sat rocking to one side as he tried to keep himself occupied from the thoughts in his head. Darkness had been lurking and waiting for its chance to grab him again.  
Tony scowled. “You’re a real son of a bitch. You don’t care if he’s innocent, you just want to shove his head into a toilet.” He hung up and slammed his phone against the counter.   
“Sir, may I ask where you are going?”  
“I’m going to talk to Thor.”  
“Sir, that is very unwise and you know it. Telling Mr. Odinson would not only anger him but it would put Mr. Laufeyson in greater jeopardy.”  
“So I sit here and do nothing?”  
"I am sorry, Sir." Jarvis said. If Thor got involved there was no telling what Fury would do with Loki for the actions of others.  
"Give up yet Laufeyson?" Fury asked, as he watched the god rock to one side.  
Green eyes turned to him. "I'm still here."  
Five weeks and the god hadn’t completely snapped yet. Then again, when he first arrived it took a good two months before he was scratching at the walls. Fury looked at Loki from the other side of the glass, hands behind his back.   
“What made you think you were Stark’s friend, exactly? Is it because he flirted with you? Cause I hate to burst your bubble, but he does that to everybody.”  
Loki looked up when he heard someone talking to him. It had been awhile since he'd seen Fury.   
"So nice of you to visit." Loki said.   
Fury didn’t look phased.  
"Tell me Laufeyson what made you think Stark was your friend?"  
"Did you know that my birth father was fifteen feet tall? My brothers are around his height as well. Odin took me in and compared to Thor and many of the other warriors I'm still the runt of the litter. The royal runt."   
“Agent Romanov was taken from her home as a child and forced to train as an assassin. She was beaten and neglected on a daily basis as part of her training. You on the other hand grew up in a palace.” Fury quipped, holding his stance as he spoke. “But that doesn’t answer my question.”  
"No, I killed people by the time I was fourteen. Saw my first act of war and took so many lives. Done it again and again. Each scar is different. But you know what puts it all on top the fact that the man who took me in told me I should have died instead. If I should have died tell me why am I still here? Would you have done it? If you found your enemy’s child abandoned would you have taken it in?"   
Fury looked at Loki. “I don’t doubt you were innocent at one point in your life. If I found an abandoned kid yes, I’d take it. Though I’m starting to regret that your adoptive family felt so much kindness towards you.” Fury lowered the glare from the glass so Loki could see him clearly. “Is the reason you don’t want to answer my question because you know Stark isn’t really your friend? Or have you just lost your mind?”


	88. Chapter 88

Fury looked at Loki. “I don’t doubt you were innocent at one point in your life. If I found an abandoned kid yes, I’d take it. Though I’m starting to regret that your adoptive family felt so much kindness towards you.” Fury lowered the glare from the glass so Loki could see him clearly. “Is the reason you don’t want to answer my question because you know Stark isn’t really your friend? Or have you just lost your mind?”  
"Can’t lose what you never had." Loki smirked. "Maybe I took to him as a friend because he was the first I ever had. I use to think Thor was my friend until I kept saving his life and every time I got hurt it was my fault."  
“Stark’s a smooth talker but he’s not your friend. It’s because of you he nearly got stuck on the wrong side of a worm hole. He’s not your friend, he’s curious about you. And when he’s done being curious, he’ll forget about you.”  
"I had nothing to do with that worm hole." Loki said. "Tell me Fury have you ever had someone else in your head?" Loki asked. "Do you know what it feels like? What someone with that power can do to your mind? If you experienced it you'd do anything they said too. Especially when they promise to kill you."   
“Let me guess, this is the part where you tell me you were mind controlled.” Fury sounded bored of that idea already, but something about the look in Loki’s eyes unnerved him. Was it possible to be that good at lying? To be able to fake that kind of pain? “Stark’s already tried to convince me you were under the same kind of mind control Clint was.”  
"I'm not going to convince you to believe me." Loki said. "At this point I don’t care. But I know what happened and what was done. You know, had you turned the temperature up in the other cell just a bit higher you very well might have had been begging for mercy." Loki said.   
“Begging who? You?” Fury looked at Loki unimpressed. “Thor? You really think he case about you all that much? Or would I be begging Stark? You know it’s been two weeks since the last time he called to check on you.” Though this was true, Fury forgot to mention it was because knew he wouldn’t get any answers.   
Loki looked at him. "Even if he isn't my friend or it was all an act, you should check on him. He has a nasty drinking problem that I almost cured." Loki said. He walked away from the glass and went back over to his cot.  
Fury looked at the god and frowned curiously. “Why do you care about that?”   
Loki didn't answer as he laid down with his back to Fury.  
"Get Banner on the phone." Fury ordered someone.  
Agent Hill nodded and pulled out her cell phone then paused and looked at Fury.   
“Sir, I hate to play Devil’s advocate, but either he’s really that good at lying or he’s telling the truth.” She dialed Bruce’s number and walked out into the hall.   
Tony looked like he was about to break down. He jumped from one table to another in his lab, dodging empty liquor bottles on the ground and knocking machines over.   
“Jarvis, this is it! Crank this bad boy up!”   
“Your goggles Sir. Put on your goggles or I will not crank anything up.”   
Tony scoffed and grabbed his goggles, putting them on sloppily and looking back at the machine he’d just finished. This could easily rival his arc reactor in power generation, at least if it worked right. Otherwise his funeral service would consist of a massive crater where the tower once stood.   
Bruce sat outside of the lab almost terrified at what Tony was about to do. He watched as Tony worked.   
Tony took a few steps away from the machine, his hands shaking as he watched it fire up. It sparked and for a moment he was worried it would blow. The entire lab shook for a moment then settled and the machine hummed quietly. Tony waited a moment then stepped towards it.   
“Stabilizing at 100%. Energy signatures are normal. Functioning at full capacity.”   
Tony grinned and took off his goggles, tossing them to the side. “Good. What’s the temperature?”  
“It’s still at almost four hundreds degrees Sir, but it is cooling. Also, Dr. Banner is here to see you.”  
“Yeah okay, let him in.” Tony didn’t even bother to greet the man as he walked in.   
"He wants to see you outside the lab." Jarvis replied.   
“Busy. Tell him to come in or leave a message.” Tony put on his iron mesh gloves and picked up the machine he’d just made. He set it another table and opened up the side to check the wires.   
Bruce frowned.  
"He won't come out his office. You don’t understand he's been drinking himself stupid for weeks and when he can’t he passes out or works in the lab. He's running on coffee." Bruce said. "You have to let Loki come back."   
“He’s always drunk Dr. Banner, that’s kind of how Stark functions.”  
“He wasn’t like that while Loki was there! If this was just coffee it wouldn’t matter but you know what alcohol does to his reactor!”  
“You expect me to just hand Laufeyson back over to him? Have you even seen how they interact? Loki has Stark wrapped around his pinky!”  
"It's how they function." Bruce said. "Stark is going to self-destruct if not kill himself with the way he's going it’s not going to end well. I bet Loki's wasting away." Bruce added. "Are you paying attention to if he's eating or are you just watching him go stir crazy?"  
“I’m not Loki’s mother. He’s a big boy and if he wants to starve himself—“  
“He’s doing it because he’s depressed, not because you finally broke him!” Bruce frowned at the man. “What has Loki done wrong in the time he was with Tony?”  
“Fury scowled at Bruce and stood from behind his desk. “It’s not about what he did, it’s about what he could do. The portal back to Asgard is right on top of Stark tower. I have multiple pictures of Loki going up to the roof alone.”  
“Do you think Tony’s an idiot? You don’t think he’d know if he was being played?”  
"And don't you think that maybe if you talked to Thor you'd know that Loki is actually helping tony upgrade the suits. That the only way that the portal will open up is if Thor comes down. That’s the only way it works, without his powers Loki can’t call to go home."  
Fury took a deep breath and looked away from Bruce. “He attacked the earth and tried to take enslave all of us.”   
“And now he’s trying to make up for it. Believe what you want about Loki, but you gave the rest of us a second chance for doing a lot worse. Loki killed less than a hundred people,” Bruce paused a moment and tensed. “I’ve killed more.”  
Fury looked back at Bruce then groaned and sat back in his chair. “Stark can come down and see Loki, but I’m not releasing him.”  
"You won’t be doing them any better." Bruce said. “What part are you not understanding!"  
“The part where everyone is losing their minds over a creature that doesn’t care about us!” Fury stood suddenly, slamming his fist on the table. “Or am I the only one that thinks it’s a coincidence that Loki developed feelings for Tony out of the blue? Because last time I checked, he launched the man out of a window!”  
"People change. You're willing to give everyone a second chance except him." Bruce replied.   
“You’re not going to stop arguing with me, are you?”  
“No. And I don’t have anywhere to go, so I can stay here all night.” Bruce sat down, clearly ready to continue the fight. Loki wasn’t his favorite person, but Tony was his best friend and he’d fight tooth and nail for him.   
Fury sighed heavily and rubbed his eye. “Agent Hill.”  
It wasn’t exactly obvisous what Tony was doing other than making a mess. He has machine pieces strew across the floor of the lab and was working on his latest creation. Though it seemed to function well, Tony felt like adding a few details to it.   
“All right, Dum-E hold this.” He lifted one of the tools he’d been working with and scoffed with the machine grabbed and dropped it.   
“Fine, don’t hold it.” Tony shook his head and grabed another tool. “Jarvis, coffee.”  
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough Sir?”   
“No. Coffee.”   
"Are you sure about this, Sir?"   
“Yes Jarvis. Now make me some coffee please.” Tony snapped at the AI then continued working on his machine.   
“Sir, are you planning on working yourself to death?”  
Tony growled annoyed and rubbed his temples, his eyes red from lack of sleep.   
“Fine, I’ll make the coffee myself!” Tony stood and felt the world shift under him from the sudden movement.   
A dozen agents escorted Loki back to the tower at Fury’s order. They were all clearly upset by the decision, but didn’t argue it.   
Loki was surprised to say the least. He didn't think they would cave in. It made him wonder just how bad Stark had done himself in.  
"Sir what are you doing?" Natasha asked.  
“You want to argue with Banner? Cause he’s not listening to me.”  
“You’re the one in charge Director, not him.”  
“I’m not the one that can turn green when he’s made either.” Fury shook his head. “He’s right about Stark. I don’t think the guy’s even bathed since we took Loki out of there.”  
“Sir.”  
“Not now Jarvis.” Tony had moved the machine to another part of the lab and was trying to get it to syphon energy.   
“Sir, you…”  
“Not now Jarvis!”  
“Sir.”  
“Mute! You can talk again when I’m done.”  
"Stark is a grown man-"  
"And unstable. Loki's not eating. Instead he writes lord knows what on walls and mutters. Stark is drinking like a whale, not eating, surviving on coffee." Fury said.  
"So he was doing that before."  
"Loki made it better. He got stark to stop drinking. If Stark keeps up at his pace he won't survive. It’s been three months."  
Natasha sighed and shook her head. “This is a stupid idea.”  
“Yes, it is but until you can come up with a better one, this is what we’re doing.”  
Jarvis allowed the agents and Loki inside the tower when they arrived.


	89. Chapter 89

“Mr. Laufeyson, I am afraid Mr. Stark has muted me in the lab. Would you please knock some sense into him? He has not left that room for two weeks.”  
Tony was working with his welder, trying to mount the machine where it was.   
"I'll handle it Jarvis, thank you." Loki went down to the lab and moved let himself in. "Stark?"  
Tony stopped what he was doing and turned suddenly. “Loki?” He looked at the god confused. “Jarvis, am I hallucinating again?”  
“No Sir, this is what I was trying to tell you earlier; Mr. Laufeyson has been released back to your custody.”  
Tony blinked and shook his head then walked towards the god, nearly tripping on all the clutter on the floor.  
"Come on. Time to go upstairs."   
Tony nodded and followed Loki upstairs. It wasn’t until he got into the bedroom that he realized just how tired he was. He barely made it to the bed before his body crumpled.   
“Is this some kind of trick?” Tony looked at Loki, trying to force his eyes to stay open.  
"No, but I want you to shower first and then eat."  
Tony whined pathetically and heaved himself up slowly. “I haven’t slept in two days.”  
“Two weeks, Sir.” Jarvis corrected.   
“Two weeks.” Tony looked at Loki. “Can’t we take a nap first?”  
"No because you'll never want to wake up." Loki said.  
Tony scoffed and got off the bed, pulling off his clothes and throwing them to the side. “Jerk. I’m all happy to see you and you’re just sitting there telling me I stink.” Tony rubbed his hands over his face then turned on the shower. Maybe he could take a nap while he was bathing.   
"Jarvis is there anything edible in the house?" Loki asked.   
"Not really Sir. I have already called for Chinese food for now. By tomorrow morning the fridge will be cleaned out and well stocked once more."  
Tony stood under the water for a good while, nearly falling asleep where he stood. He rinsed himself off and stepped out, drying off and struggling a bit to pull his clothes on.  
“Mr. Laufeyson, I am truly thankful that you have been returned to the tower. I was afraid I would have to use force against Mr. Stark.”  
"That wouldn't be good for anyone then." Loki said.   
The food arrived and Loki fixed up a plate for Stark before going to get him.   
Tony sat at the table, looking like he was about to pass out. He looked at the food Loki put in front of him then at the god.   
“What do you have against sleep?”  
“Probably the same thing you do Sir. You haven’t not eaten anything in nearly three days and have not slept more than five hours in two weeks.”  
Tony frowned at Jarvis’s words.   
"You're going to stop arguing with me and eat. Then I'll let you sleep till your heart's content."   
Tony grumbled and pouted but ate his food anyway. He actually ate more than he thought he would. Tony finished two helpings of food then rested his head on the table and closed his eyes.   
“Jarvis, I don’t need that coffee.”  
“Good, because I didn’t make it Sir.”  
Tony frowned up at the ceiling.   
Loki shook his head. "Off to bed." Loki said standing up slowly. His own body was tired and run down.  
Tony sat for a moment longer before getting to his feet. He followed Loki to the room, half-dragging himself there. He grabbed the god around the waist and collapsed onto the bed with him, holding Loki tight.  
Loki wrapped an arm around Tony in return and let himself get carried off into sleep.  
Bruce walked into the tower and was surprised to see all the Chinese food.  
"Jarvis?"  
"He's back, Dr. Banner. Mr. Laufeyson has made Mr. Stark leave the lab, shower and eat. They are now sleeping."  
Bruce smiled a bit to himself then slipped over to the room to check on them. Sure enough, Loki and Tony were curled up on the bed together, fast asleep.   
Tony hung onto Loki tight, as if he were afraid the god would vanish if he let go.  
"Jarvis I need readings on Loki. I need to know how much Fury set us back on his health."  
“I am afraid it is quite bad Dr. Banner, though not nearly as much as when Mr. Laufeyson first arrived. His weight had dropped by nearly forty pounds and, if I am correct, he slept a grand total of only thirteen hours the entire time he was in his cell.”  
"Did Fury torture him again?"   
“No physical torture, since he was not allowed to. Mr. Laufeyson was kept in a regular cell but was verbally abused and his cell was kept uncomfortably warm.”  
Bruce nodded. "Well we're not entirely back to square one with Loki." Bruce said.  
“He ate quite well with Mr. Stark and I’m certain both of them will be asleep for most of the day.”  
Bruce nodded. "Alright." He said.  
Tony slept so deeply he didn’t even move. He stay pressed close to Loki but jerked awake after a while. He’d force himself out a nightmare and looked at Loki. He relaxed when he saw the god was still there and closed his eyes again.  
Loki slept like the dead.  
It wasn’t until way later that Tony finally woke up. He frowned, confused for a moment and still half asleep as he looked around. He looked at Loki, watching the god sleep. At least this time it wasn’t a dream.   
Loki wrapped an arm around Tony pulling him back in. "Don't go."   
Tony pressed closer to Loki, brushing his fingers through the god’s hair. “I’m not going anywhere.” He smiled.   
"Good."   
"Sir, might I suggest getting Mr. Laufeyson some ice chips and water to hydrate himself. He needs it." Jarvis said.   
“Now who needs food and a bath?” Tony chided then smiled. He kissed Loki then got up. “I’ll be back okay? Gotta get you some water before you turn into a raisin.”  
Loki smiled softly. Staying in bed he smiled as Tony went to get the water. He suddenly realized how thirsty he was.  
Tony went into the kitchen and got some iced water for Loki. He brought it back and sat on the bed with the god.   
“Did they hurt you?” Tony couldn’t see any new bruises but the god looked so pale.   
Loki shook his head. Reaching for the cup he sat up enough to drink it without spilling it all over himself.   
Tony watched the god quietly, knowing there was no way they let him out of there unharmed. He didn’t want to stress Loki out though, so he didn’t ask anymore.   
“You wanna get back into your regular clothes? Prison garb doesn’t look good on you.”   
Loki chuckled. "After I have a shower. I'll take one in a little bit." Loki said. Putting the glass to the side Loki pulled Tony back onto the bed.  
Tony wrapped his arms around Loki and tangled their legs together. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you out of there.”   
Loki shook his head. "I'll be alright after a few weeks of being back." Loki replied.   
Tony hugged Loki tight, rubbing his back slightly.   
"I missed the noise from this place." Loki said. "That constant humming sound."   
Tony smiled a bit. “I think you’re hearing my reactor.”   
Loki shrugged. "Maybe."   
“Pepper always hated that noise it makes.” Tony replied quietly, brushing his fingers through Loki’s hair and scratching at his scalp gently.   
"It's oddly comforting." Loki replied. He moaned slightly as Tony started to scratch his scalp. "That feels nice."   
Tony choked quietly when he heard Loki moan. He swallowed and nodded, continuing the gesture. “Oh.”  
Loki was falling to sleep again in no time.   
"Sir, he's asleep." Jarvis informed him.   
Tony looked down at the god and smiled softly. He shifted slightly so Loki could be more comfortable.  
Bruce knocked on the door softly before popping his head in. "Hey you're up."   
Tony put a finger to his lips then nodded at Loki. “He’s asleep, so keep your voice down.”  
Bruce nodded. "Jarvis said he only slept all of thirteen hours in total while he was with Fury.”  
“I’m not surprised. I wouldn’t be able to sleep in a cell either.”   
Bruce walked over, looking at Loki. “He seems a lot more relaxed now.”  
“Did you get to see him while he was in the cell?”  
Bruce shook his head. “No but he can’t have been doing too well.”  
Tony nodded.   
"The cell was kept uncomfortably warm. He wasn't eating or drinking much of anything." Bruce explained.   
Tony frowned and looked at Loki. “That ass hole.”  
“It could have been worse.”


	90. Chapter 90

“No cause then I would have told Thor and let him zap the shit out of Fury.”  
"Don’t bring it to that. Loki's back and you're both on the mend. We have to get his weight back up he's lost forty pounds or so."  
Tony’s eyes widened and he frowned. “I’ll just fatten him again then.”  
“Healthy food Tony. Healthy food.   
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”  
"The shopping is already in. Jarvis ordered food yesterday."   
“He did?”  
“Yes, I did Sir.”  
“Oh, well thanks.” Tony shrugged.  
"We all know you wouldn't put food in the tower." He chuckled.   
“I would have gotten hungry enough to get food eventually.” Tony frowned at Bruce.   
"Sir, it's been a long time since you've had food."   
“I ate before I took a nap.”  
“You still need to eat regularly though.”  
Tony looked at Bruce then at Loki. “It’ll be easier now that he’s back.”  
"It'll be easier for the both of you." Bruce stood up from the bed and left them.  
Tony watched Bruce go then looked back at Loki, watching over him as he slept. He scratched Loki’s scalp again, staying quiet for a good while before speaking.   
“I thought I wasn’t going to see you again. The last time I felt that scared was when I called Pepper from the wormhole. She didn’t answer, I guess she didn’t hear her phone. I thought…” Tony paused and sighed quietly. “I thought I was going to die alone, stuck somewhere dark and cold. And then when you were taken away, I felt it all over again.” He spoke quietly, hoping Loki could hear him and at the same time, hoping he couldn’t.   
"I'll come back every time." Loki said.   
“Jesus!” Tony jolted and flopped onto his back, sighing. “I thought you were asleep.”  
"I was." Loki answered. He started rubbing his arms a bit. "I want to go to sleep."  
Tony brushed his fingers through Loki’s hair lazily. “Go to sleep then. I’ll be right here.”   
"I want to shower first." Loki pulled away to go get in the shower.  
“Want me to join you?” Tony asked jokingly as he sat on the bed, watching Loki.   
Loki rolled his eyes.  
“Hey, it was worth a shot.” Tony shrugged and let Loki use his shower to wash off.   
Loki saw how thin he was again and frowned.  
Tony listened to the sound of the shower and lay back on his bed. He felt so much lighter now that Loki was back, he felt whole again. It was one of the strangest things he’d ever felt in his life.   
Loki came back to the room with a towel around his waist. "I'll be right back." He said moving to go get his clothes from his old room.  
Tony watched the god quietly, not relaxing until he walked back into the room. He smiled at Loki and stood, putting his arms around the god.   
“Ready to sleep all day?”   
Loki shook his head. "No, I'm starving."  
“You know what you need? A cheeseburger.” Tony smiled then made a call.   
Loki shook his head. "How do you just decide what I need?"  
“Because I know what’s best for you and you haven’t had a cheeseburger yet.” Tony pulled Loki out to the kitchen.   
“Your food is on its way Sir.”  
“Thanks Jarv.”  
"I've been here for a year and you think I haven't had a burger. I've had a burger multiple times thanks to you."  
“Those were regular burgers. This one has cheese on it. So quit arguing with me because we both know I’m right.” Tony cocked his head to the side and gave Loki a triumphant little smile.   
The food arrived and Tony took the bags to the kitchen.   
"I would suggest you go eat, he might try to feed you."  
Tony got the burgers and fries out. “Here, this one’s for you.” Tony handed one to Loki.   
Loki sat down and without realizing it had most of the burger finished in five minutes and more than half the fries devoured.   
Tony just watched the god then quickly grabbed the rest of the fries. “They’re not all for you!”  
Loki frowned at him. "Then why didn’t you get two separate orders?" Loki asked.   
“I did.” Tony calmly pointed at the empty carton of fries that had come with Loki’s meal. “Give me a kiss and you can finish my fries.” Tony smiled.  
Loki leaned over the table to give him a quick peck on the lips before pulling back and taking the fries with him.   
Tony scoffed and finished his burger. “I meant a real kiss.” He pouted and wiped his lips.   
Loki smiled. "As soon as I'm done."  
Tony stopped and looked at the god before smiling slowly. “Good.”  
As soon as Loki finished eating he cleaned up his mess. Going over to Tony, Loki turned the man's he'd to look at him before placing a kiss on his lips. It was slow and tender.  
Tony’s eyes closed slowly and he kissed back, humming in his throat. Loki’s lips felt cool against his own, but they were so smooth. Tony reached a hand up, tangling his fingers in Loki’s hair.   
Loki moaned in his throat. Pulling back he looked Tony in the eyes.  
Tony opened his eyes and looked back into the god’s face. He caressed Loki’s cheek softly, sighing relaxed.   
“Don’t leave.”  
"I can't keep bending over like this. Come follow me to the couch."  
Tony got up quickly and went with Loki to the couch. He sat down with Loki and quickly kissed him again.   
Loki straddled Tony's waist so they could continue.  
Tony reached up and put his hands on Loki’s hips, pulling him close. He kissed along the god’s neck and jaw, feeling his pulse quicken.   
"Whoa!" Bruce exclaimed. Loki pulled away from Tony.  
Tony turned scarlet in the face then groaned annoyed. “Bruce, really?”  
“I didn’t see anything.” The man flushed and quickly covered his eyes. “I umm, I was just coming to check on you guys.”  
Tony grumbled upset.   
Loki got up. "I'll be in that direction." Loki said.   
Tony whined disappointed as Loki left then gave Bruce a death glare. “Thanks a lot.”  
Bruce chuckled and shrugged. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”  
“Yeah, right.”  
"I didn't. If anything thought you'd still be asleep."  
Tony rolled his eyes and stood, grumbling under his breath still. Bruce smiled at his friend and sat at the table.   
“How are you and Loki doing?”  
“Better, now that he’s back. We had some cheeseburgers and he forced me to take a shower.”  
"I was gonna check on you if you were up. Give Loki a full med exam." Bruce explained. "How much did he eat?"  
“One large burger and all the fries.”   
“Healthy food Tony.”  
“Jarvis restocked the fridge, all right? We’ll eat healthy later.”  
Bruce rolled his eyes. "Jarvis call Loki back out here please."  
"Doctor Banner would like to see you for a medical exam.  
Tony looked over as Loki walked out and smirked. “Hah, you have to get checked.”  
“You do too Tony.” Bruce frowned at the man then looked at Loki. “I’ll just take a minute.”  
"Very well doctor banner." Loki said.  
Bruce got started on the check, though he didn’t have to look too hard for signs of neglect. He could see Loki’s ribs and sharp hip bones again and his cheeks looked sunken in.  
"So what's the verdict this time doctor?"  
“You’re underweight and malnourished, but not too badly. We just need to get you fed and make sure your weight gets back up to normal.”  
“I can fatten him up.” Tony winked at Loki playfully.   
“Your turn.” Bruce looked at Tony and the playboy rolled his eyes.   
Loki chuckled as he switched places with Tony.   
"You need to stop drinking so much. Real meals for you too." He said. "I'm sure Loki will make sure you eat properly."  
Tony just nodded but he gave Bruce an unimpressed look. “Yeah, I’ll quit. Whatever.”  
“Tony, I mean it. I saw the monitor Jarvis keeps on your blood alcohol levels. Stop.”  
Tony looked at Bruce then away. “Fine.”  
"Much more and you'll need another liver." Bruce said.   
“I said I’ll cut back. “ Tony looked at his friend, tired of the badgering. As if it wasn’t bad enough when Pepper harped on him for it. Tony went into the kitchen and grabbed one of his green drinks.   
Loki thanked Banner before following after Tony. "He cares for you."   
Tony looked at Loki and gave him a half-hearted smiled. “I know he does.”  
Bruce rolled his eyes as Tony walked off. The man really was dense, but he knew Tony would mind his advice. Nothing scared Tony more than the thought of dying.   
"I'm going to go lie down and get a movie started when you're ready come join me."  
Tony nodded and took a swig of his drink, making a face as it touched his tongue. He hadn’t had any while Loki had been gone and he’d forgotten just how awful they taste. He shook his head and shuddered then quickly finished the wretched drink before grabbing some water.  
“My room still there?” Bruce asked as he walked over.   
“Yeah, of course. You staying in the states for a while?”  
"For a while." Bruce smile. "I'm glad I came back when I did."  
Tony smiled at the man a bit and drank some water. “Welcome back home Bruce.”  
"Thanks for letting me come back."  
“You know you’re always welcome here Bruce. Just stop walking in on my make out sessions with Loki or I’ll start locking you out.” Tony smiled then turned to go to Loki’s room.


	91. Chapter 91

"Don’t make out with your boyfriend in a public place." He said.  
Tony turned sharply, pouting at Bruce. “This is my house!” He stormed into Loki’s room, grumbling. “Public place.” He scoffed and sat on the bed.   
"He does have a point. What if it hadn't been him?" he asked.  
Tony looked at Loki and pouted. “We were making out Loki. And it was pretty hot.”  
"We can continue if you'd like."  
Tony looked at the god then smiled a bit. “Do you want to? Cause honestly, I could go all day just kissing you.”  
Loki leaned into and gave him a few quick pecks.  
Tony smiled at the small kisses and snuggled closer to Loki. “So, what are we watching?”  
"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire hunter."   
Tony looked at Loki as if expecting him to be joking then shrugged. “You like weird stuff.”  
"You know that already."  
Tony chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I guess I do.”  
Loki wrapped an arm around his shoulders and settled in.  
Tony rested his head against Loki’s and watched the movie. It was definitely weirder than he expected it to be, but wasn’t bad.  
Loki started to nod off towards the end of the film.   
Tony was wide eyed the entire time, unsure if he should be horrified or amazed. When the movie ended, he shook his head.   
“Hey, why do you like this…?” Tony stopped himself when he saw Loki asleep. He smiled a bit and adjusted himself so the god could be comfortable.  
"I think he wanted simply have some background noise." Jarvis explained.  
Tony watched the god then rested his head back against the pillows with Loki.   
“Turn down the volume would ya?”  
“Yes Sir.”  
When Loki woke up again it was midafternoon.  
"Hello." He greeted.  
Tony shifted and woke up, mumbling quietly then looked over at Loki. He smiled.   
“Hey.”  
Loki pulled away from Tony. "Are you alright in here? Not too cold?"  
Tony blinked and shrugged. He’d pulled the blankets around himself during the night and Jarvis adjusted the temperature.   
“I guess it was a little chilly. Hey, when you’re dating a snow man, you need to wear a jacket.” Tony looked at the god then cracked a smile. “It’s a joke. You’re supposed to laugh and loosen up.”  
Loki rolled his eyes. "Go warm up." Loki headed for the bathroom to shower.  
Tony stood and left the blanket on the bed as he headed to his room. He changed clothes and pulled on a long sleeve shirt.   
“Sir, Captain Rogers is here.”  
“What does he want?”  
“He will not disclose the information to me but says it is urgent.”  
Tony sighed. “Let him in.”  
Steve walked to Tony's room. "Are you alright?"  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Something wrong Rogers?”  
“Well you nearly drank yourself into a coma this past months. I just heard Fury let Loki come back. You two okay?”  
“We’ll live. He’s the one that got the worst of it.”  
"Did they torture him again?" Steve asked worried.  
Tony shook his head. “They couldn’t; he’s not a prisoner so they aren’t allowed to torturehim. They didn’t take care of him but he’s back with me now.”  
"Is he creepy thin again?" Steve asked.   
Tony snorted and tried not to laugh. “No, but he lost a lot of weight. It’s not nearly as bad as it was before.”  
"Protein will put the weight back on him." Steve said.  
“Yeah, Bruce put him back on his multi-vitamins and said he’s going to email me a list of things he should be eating.” Tony crossed his arms. “You know, I don’t get Fury. All of us get a pass card but Loki has to stay in the gutter.”  
"He's on everyone's shit list." Steve said. "Clint and Natasha are still out for his blood."  
Tony clenched his jaw and shook his head. “Well they can keep pissing on their boots then. Thanks for stopping by Rogers.”  
Steve nodded. “I don’t know if Thor’s been by, but we had a short briefing with him back at SHIELD. Apparently, this Mephisto guy is still out there and he’s pretty pissed at Loki for something. He didn’t go into any details, but he’s probably coming back.”  
“Great. This is what we need right now.”  
"Thor said he was going to go back to their father and beg for Loki's powers back because of this threat." he said. "We're hoping that Odin comes through."  
“He’d better because right now he won’t survive another fight like that.” Tony didn’t like this. They were just waiting for this psycho to pop up again and there was no telling what would happen. Would he face them head on or just flood them with monsters?   
“Stark, can I ask you something?”  
“What?”  
“Why do you do so much for this guy? I mean, I get it but why?”   
Tony looked at Steve then shrugged. “I like to think it’s because I’m just awesome like that but Pepper says it’s because I’m an idiot.”  
Steve chuckled. "Everyone got a second chance and Loki never got his. You know what it's like to have another chance so you're offering it to him?"  
"Not to mention Loki suffered through Fury for a year and when you see him talk about what the Chitauri put him through the look in his eyes is different." Bruce said, entering Tony's room. "Fury said Loki was talking about being with the Chitauri but he said he couldn’t believe him because of his possible delirium."  
“He wants to be mad at someone for what happened so he’s taking it all out on Loki, even though the guy didn’t do anything.”  
“Well he can’t keep treating like this. I mean, how’s he going to explain that to Thor?”  
"By my guess he wasn't planning on it. Seeing that Loki and Thor are still not talking let alone seeing each other he might have thought get away with it."  
“Won’t work for long. Thor stops by and asks to see Loki all the time.” Tony shook his head. “If he asks about it, I’m not gonna lie to the guy. I’m going to tell him what they did to his brother.”  
"We'll never hear the end of it from Fury." Steve said.  
“If he survives what Thor will do to him.” Tony shrugged, not really all that worried about it. Chances were, if they told Thor about the torture, he’d whack Fury with his hammer.   
"We can't tell him, not with some nut job after Loki." Steve said. "Besides, it’s not Thor's place to get payback, its Loki's."  
“Well he’ll get it, even if I have to hold Fury down so Loki can punch him.”  
Steve couldn’t help but smile a bit. “You really care about him.”  
“Yeah, I do. Somebody has to make the guy feel like he matters.”  
Steve smiled. He never thought he could see a side of Tony like this. He was glad it existed.  
“Then keep looking out for him. Tell him I said hi.”  
Tony nodded and watched Steve go then walked over to Loki’s room.   
Loki had just finished his shower and was starting to get dressed.  
Tony whistled as he looked the god over and grinned. “You look pretty good naked.” He yelped and jumped back as Loki started to beat him with the towel.   
"Keep your eyes on something other than me."  
Tony rolled his eyes but looked away as Loki got dressed. “You were peeping at me when I took a shower, and that was before we were dating!”  
"I did no such thing." He replied.   
“Oh yes you did. I can have Jarvis pull up the footage if you don’t believe me.” Tony sat on Loki’s bed and pulled out his phone. He had a few emails with mission details from Fury, but nothing else new.   
“So this Mephisto guy, what’s his deal?” He looked at the god curiously, wanting to know as much as he could in case of a big fight.   
Loki sighed. He sat down on the bed in only his jeans. "When learning magic you have to go to the sorcerers of Asgard, then to the sages in Alfheim, then to Vanaheim and finally Svartalfheim. They will each teach you something." Loki said. "He had to go through such a training because his gift is weaker than mine. I hold a title in the realms for being the most powerful in such a gift. I outdo him in every way. He has held such a grudge on me for years and even in exile I am still more powerful than him. But it happened when we were in our teens he was back in Asgard and thought he could beat me in a duel. I won and in turn everyone that watched knew it and the woman he was seeing left him for me. He has vowed to kill me."   
“That’s…unsettling.” Tony cleared his throat. “Well we know he’s weaker than you, so at least we have that advantage. We’re going to need your help building weapons we can actually use against this guy.” Tony looked at the god and tried to keep his cool, but worry swam in his eyes.


	92. Chapter 92

"I'm weaker than him." Loki said. "As long as my powers are sealed I am weaker than him." Loki explained. "That's why he took the chance when he did."  
“Thor went back to talk to your dad. He’s going to convince him that you need your powers back full time.” Tony stopped then sighed heavily. There was, of course, one small detail he’d overlooked: Fury. The man would lose his mind if he heard Loki had his powers back. “We’ll have to keep it quiet though.”  
He nodded. "Right." He said.  
“Rogers stopped by earlier. He wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”  
"He cares?" Loki questioned genuinely surprised.   
Tony shrugged. “He cares for everybody. When he found out the truth about you, he stopped caring about the attack. He has this annoying habit of liking everybody but me.”  
"Well you are a piece of work." Loki stated.  
Tony looked at Loki flabbergasted. “Right, cause you’re such a peach.” Tony huffed.   
Loki grinned at him. "Sure." He smiled.   
“You know what? I’m eating your last pudding cup.” Tony stood and walked into the kitchen as if it were such an insult to Loki.   
"No! I want my pudding!" Loki chased after him.  
Tony snatched it and quickly ran, staying just out of reach of the god. “You’ll have to pry it out of my hands!”  
Loki picked up the pace and chased after Stark still.   
Silently Jarvis was placing an order for more Pudding, in both the cups and boxes.  
Tony dodged around furniture and across the living room and kitchen before making a dash for his room.   
Loki slipped and skid across the floor a bit.  
“Hah! I win!” Tony nearly made it to his room when a pair of icy hands gripped his ankles. He fell to the ground and the pudding cup rolled away.  
Stepping out of his room Bruce picked up the pudding cup and went back into his room with it.  
"That was mine." Loki complained.   
“Not anymore.” Bruce called from his room.   
Tony scoffed and grumbled, getting up.   
"I hate you." Loki stated. Getting up Loki went to his room grumbling about his lost pudding cup.  
“Nobody likes you either!” Tony shouted after him then got up. He mumbled and went back into the kitchen.   
Loki frowned when tony didn't come to make it better.  
Tony searched the fridge but didn’t find any more pudding cups. He huffed hen grabbed one of the small ice cream cups out of the fridge. He grabbed a spoon and went to Loki’s room.   
“I didn’t mean it. Everyone like you and your sexy ass.” He spoke through the door.   
Loki opened the door and saw the ice cream he leaned forward for a bit.  
Tony held it up as a little offering. “Can I come back in?”  
"Yes." He replied.  
Tony handed Loki the ice cream then walked back into the room and sat on the bed.   
"What do we do?" Loki asked offering Tony a spoonful of ice cream.   
Tony accepted the ice cream off and hummed in his throat. “Well first we need to get ready for when this Mephisto guy shows up again. Does he have any weaknesses?”  
"His temper." Loki answered. "If it gets the better of him he won’t think straight he'll throw out whatever spells come to mind first."  
“Okay, that kind of helps. Anything else?” Tony took some more ice cream from Loki.   
"He has no real knowledge of weapons. He thinks he can pick up a sword and swing. I don’t want you or the others in this battle. This is between me and him."  
Tony looked at Loki unimpressed. “Umm, no it’s between all of us and him. You’re powerless and if there’s any way that we can help, we’re going to.”  
"No you are not. He is my enemy and mine alone. Agent Barton and Romanov would rather see me dead then help me. I will not ask for my brother’s help. I refuse to bring the good doctor, or captain into this. And I don’t want you getting hurt."   
“Yeah well I’m not asking your permission, I’m telling you that I’m going to help. And if I know Thor, he’s not going to stay back just because you tell him to.” Tony looked at Loki sternly. “I don’t want you getting hurt either.”  
Loki gave Tony a soft kiss on the lips. "I've spent my whole life fighting, training, and bleeding for this. I know what I'm doing."  
“And I know what I’m doing. I’m keeping you safe. I’m fighting with you and if I get my ass kicked then you can just fix it for me.” Tony gave a little smile.   
"No, because if I have to strap you down to a bed you will not move." Loki said.  
Tony gave Loki a cocky smile. “So you’re into the kinky stuff, huh?”  
Loki rolled his eyes."Get your mind out of the gutter."  
“My mind is the gutter.” Tony kissed Loki’s cheek then took some more ice cream.  
Loki rolled his eyes.   
Tony grinned playfully at the god, though he felt a nervous pit in his stomach. They had no idea when this Mephisto loony would decide to attack again.   
Thor had just arrived in Asgard to speak with his father. Thanks to Heimdall, Odin already had a rough idea what it was about.   
“You seem flustered Thor.”  
“It had been a hectic week on Midgard Father.”  
"Heimdall tells me your brother has healed from the attack and that he's been returned to the Man of Iron." Odin said.   
“Yes, he has. It seems he is quite content with Anthony Stark.” Thor smiled a bit. “You should see it Father. I have not seen Loki smile in such a way in years.”  
"Aye, it is a change. I never thought I would see him smile like that again." Odin replied.   
Thor nodded then sighed quietly. “Father, you must return Loki’s powers. Mephisto will not stop in his search for Loki and without his magic, he is defenseless.”  
"I cannot return them. When it comes time for the battle Loki will have his powers back."  
“Father we cannot wait and allow this to happen! You know Mephisto will not give Loki a chance to save himself.”  
"And you know how your brother is. He will not forgive us if we interfere." Odin said.   
“We cannot worry about his pride at this time! The Man of Iron will not let Loki face Mephisto alone and neither will I.”  
"When will you learn to respect your brother's wishes?" Odin asked.  
Thor frowned at his father, wanting to bring up Loki’s children but didn’t. He looked away, clenching his fists.   
"He is stronger than you give him credit for and you need to realize he is not a little boy anymore.”   
“He is my brother, the only brother I have. How can you ask that I stand by and watch another go after his life? I have already failed him Father.” Thor looked at Odin. “I will not do so again. Not now.”  
"Go against my orders and I will punish you." Odin replied. "This is not your battle this is Loki's. He does not want your help or that of the Man of Iron."   
Thor looked away from his father with a deep scowl. Odin sighed then put a hand on Thor’s shoulder.   
“He must face this alone Thor. And you must let him.”  
“And what will I do if he dies Father?”  
"You will mourn him and then you shall move on." Odin replied.   
Thor didn’t want to leave things this way, but he knew his father was right. Loki would never speak to him again if he got in the way of this.  
He returned to Earth later that night. Thor decided it would be best to talk to Tony about this so he at least knew what was going on.  
“I’m sorry, what?”  
“Please, understand why this is being done.”  
“No, no I’m not going to understand anything. We’re leaving him powerless because he’s a big boy? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”  
"But it is what must be done. Loki must fight his own battles, he is a grown man and they should not be fought for him simply because you think he cannot handle it. If what my brother has told you to be true when he endured the Chitauri then dealing with Mephisto should be very easy for him. He has done it once before." Thor explained.   
“This has nothing to do with what I think!” Tony frowned up at Thor. “How are you okay with this? Don’t you care that he’s walking into this alone?”  
“Of course I care!” Thunder boomed overhead and Tony flinched then looked at Thor afraid. The god sighed heavily. “You think I did not argue with my father? For as much as I wish to help, fighting this battle for him will only do him harm.”  
Tony frowned and clenched his jaw.   
"I have tried to fight my brother’s battles for him his entire life. I have always cast a great shadow over him. It is time I let him have the sun to stand in."  
Tony shook his head then sighed in defeat. He crossed his arms and looked at Thor. “So we just wait?”  
Thor nodded. “I do not like this anymore than you, but we have no other choice. This is what is best for him.”  
Tony frowned then nodded slowly. “Fine. Fine.”  
"I will however bring back what will be needed for him to heal. Sooner rather than later. I have the healers working on the creams as we speak."  
“All right. You got any idea where this creep is?”  
Thor shook his head. “Though he is not as strong as my brother, he is still quite skilled in magic. Mephisto is keeping himself cloaked.”  
“Great.”  
"But when he comes for my brother, and he will, you will know. I would suggest you notify the Furious one so he is prepared."   
“Yeah, I’ll tell him. Since Loki’s the only one in danger he’ll probably take his sweet time.”  
Thor smiled a bit. “You have my thanks, Anthony Stark. Continue to care for my brother.”  
Tony looked up at Thor and nodded.   
Once Thor was gone Jarvis spoke up. "Shall I call Director Fury?"   
Tony rolled his eyes and headed back inside. “Yeah, go ahead.”  
"What do you want Stark?" Fury asked a few moments later.  
“I just talked to Thor. Seems this Mephisto guy isn’t going to quit until Loki’s dead so we need to be ready if he comes back.”  
"You mean the guy who tried to kill him when he was closing up that portal?" Fury asked.


	93. Chapter 93

“Yeah him. Thor says we should hang back on this one but we should be ready just in case he doesn’t stop at Loki.”  
"He's more trouble than he's worth." Fury grumbled.   
Tony clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to say something to Fury. “We need to be ready cause we don’t know when this guy will show up.”  
"I heard you the first time Stark."   
“Just making sure. You know how it is for old people.”  
“Is that all?” Fury snapped.   
Tony grinned to himself. “Yep, that’s it.”  
Fury cut the connection.   
Loki was sitting in his bedroom wondering if he should try to lure his foe out of hiding.  
Tony set his phone down then went over to Loki’s room. “So, you don’t get your powers back fully yet. “ Tony sat on the bed and looked at Loki.  
"I don't have powers at all."  
“Don’t sass me.” Tony pouted at Loki upset. “You won’t get your magic until he attacks, just like during regular missions.”  
"Stop pouting like a child. It’s not your battle."  
Tony looked away upset and huffed. “You’d better survive this.” He looked at Loki seriously.   
"If I don't, I don't want you to quit, I want you to keep on living. It will not be the end of the world if I die so that means don't go turning to the bottle."  
Tony just looked at the god quietly for a moment. “Don’t give me that speech. Everybody told me the same thing when my mom was blown to bits on a plane. The world keeps on spinning Tony. Don’t feed me that bull crap because you know that’s not how this works. You’re going to survive, no-be-prepared-if-I-don’t speeches.”  
"The world does keep turning. I wanted to give up after they took my son from me but I didn't. You won't give up either. Just promise me you'll keep living if I don't come back."  
Tony looked into Loki’s eyes with fear in his own. He swallowed thickly then looked away. “Fine.”  
Loki cupped Tony's face to kiss his forehead. "Come lay down with me."  
Tony leaned into the touch then lay down beside Loki on the bed. “This isn’t fair.” He looked at the god.   
"Nothing ever is."  
“That’s really not making me feel any better.” Tony pouted again. “You’re not allowed to come here and make my life great just so it can be shitty again.”  
Loki wrapped an arm around him. "Can we just enjoy this for a bit?"  
Tony hugged Loki around the waist, pulling him close. “Yeah.” He pressed his forehead to Loki’s shoulder, closing his eyes.  
Loki held him. He liked the warmth that Tony gave off. The feeling he had when they near each other.  
Tony held onto Loki tight as they lay there. His skin felt oddly cold, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. He sighed quietly.  
Loki would give Tony little kisses and rub his back.  
Tony pressed tighter against the god, letting his fingers slip into Loki’s shirt and rest against his back.   
Loki allowed Tony to have that closeness. He could feel the fingers lightly touching the scars on his back.  
Tony ran his fingers along the scar on Loki’s lower back, tracing it up and down slowly.   
"Having fun?" Loki asked with a soft smile.  
Tony chuckled in his throat and looked up at Loki. “Actually yeah.”  
"I got that scar from a training exercise." Loki replied.   
Tony looked at Loki a moment then pulled up his shirt and showed the god a scar above his hip. “I got that when I was captured. Can’t remember much but they told me it was from the shrapnel.”  
Loki nodded. "There is a set of scars on my back from being whipped. During my second war they captured me and I managed to make them think I was one of them by disguising myself. But I went against a direct order. Forty lashes."  
Tony winced at the thought of it. He ran one hand further up Loki’s back slowly, feeling the scars in the god’s back. “You ever thought about hiding them with magic?”  
"Yes, but then I realized no one was ever going to see them." He said.  
“Well, no one except me.” Tony smiled then frowned as the lights went out. “Jarvis?” There was no reply. Tony sat up and looked out the windows, seeing the sky begin to swirl outside.   
“I’m just going to assume that’s this Mephisto guy.” Tony opened a panel behind the wall in Loki’s room and began rearranging some wires. The tower hummed again but the lights stayed off.   
“Sir, I cannot maintain full function.”  
“Then focus on my suit.”  
Loki got out of bed. "Then it begins." He said. Loki ran out of the room and slammed the door shut. "Jarvis if you can manage a suit then keep him in this room."  
“I cannot promise he will stay put, but I will do my best Mr. Laufeyson.”  
The suit quickly assembled on Tony and showed him stats of everything around him. Then it sat suddenly, keeping Tony in the room.   
“Jarvis, what are you doing?”  
“Slight malfunction Sir. I apologize.”  
“Well stop apologizing and fix it!”  
The sky looked twisted and a portal opened up. Mephisto passed through, fire burning at his hands.   
“Show yourself, Loki!”  
"I'm right here." He answered getting onto the roof. Loki felt his magic begin to surge through him. This time it was the full extent of his powers.   
"My, my, my how the mighty have fallen."   
Mephisto sneered at Loki and landed in front of him on the roof. “The fallen prince of Jotunheim, son of Laufey, stain on the house of Odin.”   
Magic sparked around them and charged the air. The portal remained open, and an army of creatures waited on the other side of it.   
Tony struggled to move but couldn’t.  
“Jarvis, you’d better not be keeping me here on purpose!”  
“Mr. Laufeyson requested I keep you safe Sir.”  
“Since when do you take orders from him?” Tony growled out.   
"Since it involved keeping you from being reckless." Jarvis replied.  
"This battle is between us. Only a coward would strike when his opponent is down. Close the portal and let this bet between us."   
Mephisto snarled at Loki and the fire in his hands flared. “You dare insult me?” He raised his hand and the portal closed. “Fine. I’ll kill you then turn this miserable rock to cinders!” He blasted at Loki and a large portion of the roof came off.   
The suit moved Tony down into the lab as rubble began to fall in.   
“Jarvis, let me go!”  
“I will do no such thing.”  
The blow knocked Loki a good distance away from Mephisto. He stayed where he was, wanting the crazed being to come to him. He wanted to lure him away from the tower and the city.  
Mephisto went after Loki, firing blasts of fire at him again and again. “Stop running, you coward!”   
The tower shook from the first blast but withstood it well. After Loki’s attack, Tony built it stronger. The man was impatient, not to mention irate with just sitting around.   
“Jarvis, don’t make me override you.”  
“I’m afraid you will have to Sir. I will not allow you out there, you don’t stand a chance. Not to mention Mr. Laufeyson asked you to stay put.”  
"You swore to him you would." Jarvis reminded him.  
When they made it to an area of abandoned buildings that were barely staying together, Loki stopped running. He turned around to face his foe.  
"I defeated you once and I will do so again." Loki said.  
"You are a weak creature. The Allfather should have left you to die." Mephisto shouted.   
Loki conjured up a spell of his own and used it against the being.  
Mephisto smirked at the sight. “Now we’re going to have fun.” He gathered more fire in his hands and began to float up off the ground.   
Thor arrived at the tower, though he was under strict instruction not to interrupt the fight.   
“Anthony Stark!” Thor saw the roof of the tower and the gaping hole going into the tower.   
“I’m fine Thor.” Tony walked over, no longer wearing his suit. “I’m fine.”   
Thor sighed and nodded. “And my brother?”   
Tony looked at Thor. “I don’t know. They left.”  
"When will you learn?" He asked shaking his head. Loki let his own natural magic flow through him. He could feel the ice forming in his fingers. He threw large shards of ice at the man.  
Mephisto melted the ice then vanished suddenly, appearing behind Loki and kicking him in the side. “Do not mock me, Child!”  
Thor swallowed thickly and nodded then looked outside. “You were not injured?”  
“Jarvis put me in the suit and took me downstairs. He only let me out after I promised I’d stay here.”  
"Then we are both doomed to wait." Thor said.  
Going himself up Loki shook his head.   
"You will never be as strong as me. Face the facts, you were always weaker than me. Always have been, always will be. Today is not the day I die but the day you do." Loki charged at him the familiar glow of green in his hands.  
Mephisto growled but tensed at the glow in Loki’s hands. He knew this magic well. His own hands flared with white hot flame and he readied himself.  
Tony sat across from Thor, looking at his hands. “He’s going to win, right?”  
“Loki is much stronger than Mephisto. I do not doubt he will be victorious.”  
"I learned a few tricks, hope you enjoy them." Loki's clones appeared a hundredfold around them.


	94. Chapter 94

Mephisto snarled at the clones then looked at Loki and smiled wickedly. “You’re not the only one, Jotun.” He stomped his foot on the ground and a titan of molten rock emerged.   
Tony felt a slight quiver in the ground and looked outside, seeing flares of light in the distance.   
Loki's eyes widened at the site of the creature standing before him. He made all his clones turn into the shadows during his first mission with the Avengers. They only took a single thought to control while Loki focused other thoughts and power on the molten creature before him. Thinking quickly, Loki used his powers more, hoping to stall the creature until he could find a better solution for it.  
The creature bellowed and threw a large fist at Loki. The ground trembled and Mephisto smirked at the sight. He watched then summoned flames to his hands, though it was a small flame. Most of his energy was going into the creature as it was. He lunged at Loki and punched at him.  
Loki screamed in pain as he felt another hit land in his side.  
Mephisto laughed and kicked Loki again while he was down. “You’ve grown weak in your exile Loki!”  
The molten creature behind them thrashed and bellowed at the shadow Loki had sent out. Its hits did nothing, but at least the shadow kept the creature’s attention off Loki.  
Loki made his shadows attack Mephisto. Rolling away from him, Loki got to his feet and went for the beast his enemy had conjured up. Taking a deep breath, Loki focused his energy on a powerful water spell.  
The beast howled and thrashed then went after Loki angrily. The water began to cool and harden its body and the creature moved slowly.   
Mephisto fought the shadow, getting angry that his attacks did nothing. It had no physical form, of course it wouldn’t hurt. He snarled and sent out a blast of light.   
The shadow disappeared from sight.   
Mephisto saw his chance to attack Loki while he was distracted. Pulling out a blade, he shoved it into Loki's back, missing the spine but dangerously close to his kidney. A scream erupted from him.  
He tossed Loki to the side, sneering down at him triumphantly. “You’re pathetic!” He kicked Loki in the jaw then stepped in the center of his chest. “You’ve lost your edge Loki. Has being trapped on Midgard softened you?” He conjured a spear of fire and held it over the god’s heart.   
Tony stared off into the distance and tensed when the lights quivered. “What’s going on?”  
Thor watched anxiously, feeling some of the magic in the air waver. “I am not sure.”  
Loki started laughing against his better judgment. Something in his eyes changed and Mephisto like a fool watched Loki's eyes instead of his hands. Loki stabbed the man in the ankle, using the distraction to drag him to the ground and straddle his chest, gripping down on his throat.   
"You'll die first. I am not weak! I am Loki Friggason of Asgard." He squeezed, the color of his hands changing.   
Mephisto struggled and let out a strangled cry of agony as he felt his skin begin to burn under Loki’s touch. He pulled up his dagger and stuck Loki in the side but felt his strength leaving him. He thrashed under the god, eyes widening as Loki’s skin began to turn blue.   
“You…monster…!” He choked out.   
Thor’s eyes widened as he felt the surge of magic again. “Something is wrong.”  
“We need to go. Now.”   
“But…”  
“We’re not going to fight we’re just going to drag Loki’s ass back here when he’s done! Now move it!”  
"Yes! I am the monster your mother told you about! Remember what I look like for it will be the last thing you see." Loki's eyes turned red and a sinister laugh left him and he squeezed down on the man's throat.   
Mephisto struggled to get free, but the bitter chill coming off Loki was burning him out. He conjured fire to his hands, using what magic he had left to try and force Loki back.   
Thor and Tony landed some distance from the battle scene. Jarvis was still recovering from the sudden outage, so Thor had to carry Tony there.   
“Are you alright?”  
“Next time don’t squeeze me so hard.” Tony grumbled then looked up ahead. It was strange feeling so much magic in the air. He felt his hair stand on end as he approached slowly.   
“Anthony stay back!” Thor put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Keep your distance until this is over.”  
“I am keeping my distance!”  
Mephisto slowly stopped fighting Loki, turning blue in the face as he died.   
"I will always be better than you, stronger than you and more powerful than you." Loki crushed Mephisto's throat as his fingers started to overlap each other. Pulling away, Loki's skin started to turn back to its once pale complexion. He didn't make it fall before collapsing into the dirt.   
“Loki!” Tony ran over and looked at the wounds. “He’s bleeding everywhere!”  
“Move!” Thor ran over and knelt down, untying a small brown bag from his belt. He poured a strange, bright yellow powder over the wounds. “I am sorry Brother, this will hurt.”   
“What is that stuff?”  
“It will stop the bleeding and begin closing the wounds but we must get him back to the tower.” Thor picked Loki up then paused. “I cannot carry you both.”  
“Get him back, now!”  
Loki was in too much pain to notice what Thor was using on him.   
Jarvis sent out a suit to get Tony and take him back to the tower.  
When Tony arrived back at the tower, Thor had already taken Loki down to the medical bay. He was tending to his brother and scolding him as he did so.   
“You are full of holes now Loki. You look more like odd cheese than a Jotun.” He frowned at his younger brother, applying the salves to the wounds.   
“Is he okay?” Tony walked over and scowled when he saw the fresh wounds. More scars to add to the collection. “Guess not.”  
“He will live only because I am no longer allowed to throttle him.” Thor frowned and finished tending to Loki. He grabbed a rag and wiped the blood from his hands.   
“Yeah well don’t worry, I’ll kick his ass when he’s not full of holes anymore.”  
"Sirs, might I suggest not saying anything?" Jarvis asked. "Loki is hardly paying attention to either of you for the simple fact of he's lost to much blood."   
“I’m not saying it so he’ll pay attention!” Tony crossed his arms and looked down at Loki. He looked ghastly pale.   
Thor frowned and shook his head. “At least now we do not need to worry about Mephisto.”  
“Yeah that’s a real fucking comfort.”   
"Please calm down Anthony, all that yelling will not make it any better." Thor said.  
Tony scoffed and shook his head, but he quieted down. Loki was alive, that was all that mattered. And Thor had already treated the wounds; he’d survive with a bit of rest. Tony clenched his jaw and looked at Loki.   
“Anthony, may I ask you a question?”   
Tony turned his glance to Thor and shrugged. “Shoot.”  
“What do you feel for my brother?”  
Tony was quiet for a second. He pursed his lips a bit then looked back at Loki again. “I love him.”  
Thor backed Tony into a corner. "Hurt him and I'll hurt you. He's had enough pain and needs no more."   
Tony looked up into Thor’s eyes and stood tall, or as tall as he could compared to the god.   
“I’m not planning on hurting him Thor. I might not know everything but I know enough just looking at all those scars he’s got.”  
He nodded. "Very well then. I hope you do my brother well."  
“I’ll do my best until he goes back home.” Tony gave Thor a half-hearted smile then went and sat next to the bed with Loki.   
Thor went over and stood next to Loki. “I have wronged him in so many ways. All those years he suffered and I did not…” He stopped, pursing his lips angrily.   
Tony looked at the god then at Loki. “It was that bad, huh?”  
Thor chuckled dryly. “What I did to him has brought him here. I would say it was that bad for him.”  
Tony reached out and held Loki’s hand.   
"Do not tell anyone of this." Thor said. He pulled out a small stuffed toy of a cat and set it next to Loki. "This was his favorite toy growing up until I ripped its head off. I was a horrid child to him."  
Tony smiled and nodded. “I won’t tell anybody.” He looked at Thor. “Thanks.”  
Thor smiled back. “And thank you as well. Continue to make my brother happy.” He put a hand on Tony’s shoulder then started to leave before Loki could wake up.   
Tony stayed there with Loki the rest of the night, constantly checking on him and making sure he was comfortable. He didn’t get much more than an hour or two worth of sleep.   
Loki started to stir the next morning. He turned his head and saw Tony sitting there. Trying to sit up, Loki laid back down, huffing as the pain surged through him.  
Tony jolted awake and looked around tense. He looked at Loki and yawned.   
“You’re up. You need anything?”  
"Everything hurts." He gasped. His knuckles were turning white as he gripped the sheets in pain.  
“Just relax, okay?” Tony quickly got up and got something from the table. Thor had left a few things behind for Loki when he woke up, and good thing too. He mixed together a green powder and some water then handed it to Loki.   
“Here, drink this. Your brother said it would help.”  
Loki did as he was told at drank the potion. He laid back against the pillows again.   
Tony sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Loki’s forehead gently. “Thor said it’ll take the pain away.” He smiled. “He also brought you this.” Tony held up the stuffed cat and set it on Loki’s stomach gently.   
Loki's eyes widened. "I haven't seen since I was small." Loki smiled faintly.  
“Thor thought it might cheer you up to have it. He also threatened to pummel me if I don’t treat you right.”  
"Sounds like him." he said. "Can we at least move me to the bedroom?"  
“Yeah, hang on a sec.” Tony left the room for a moment then returned wearing his suit. “This is the only way I can carry you there.” He scooped Loki up into his arms and carried him up to his room.   
Loki sighed as Tony carried him. He was read to stay in bed for a few days and rest.  
Tony set Loki down carefully onto his bed then went back out to the living room to get his suit off.   
“You know this is the first time Jarvis hasn’t listened to me.” He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.   
"Thank you Jarvis." Loki replied.   
"You're welcome Sir."


	95. Chapter 95

"If you saw me out there, you would have stopped loving me." Loki said.  
Tony looked at Loki unimpressed. “You really think you covered in dirt is going to make me stop loving you? Or did you turn into one of my exes while you were out there?”  
"No, I turned into a monster." He answered.  
“Look, I really don’t care.” Tony held Loki’s hand. “I didn’t just fall for you because you’re sexy, though that is a really nice bonus.”  
Loki smiled at first but in his mind, he wondered what Stark would say when he finally saw that side of him.  
Tony smiled back. “You should get some sleep.”  
Loki held onto Tony's hand and let his eyes drift shut again.  
Tony stayed with Loki the rest of the day, leaving only a few times to get a snack or use the bathroom.   
“Sir, perhaps you should get some sleep as well.”  
“I’m fine. I’ve lived off of less.”  
“Yes, but it will hardly help Mr. Laufeyson that you exhaust yourself like this.”  
Tony watched Loki sleep and brushed his fingers through the god’s hair.   
Loki leaned into his touch. "Go to sleep."  
Tony smiled a bit at the god but ended falling asleep on the chair in the room soon after.  
Loki had wanted Tony to lay down with him but as long as Tony slept.  
Tony slept for a few hours, grumbling every so often and nearly falling off the chair twice. When he woke up again, he looked over at Loki to make sure the god was all right.   
"Come get into the bed."   
Tony chuckled dryly and got up, stretching and groaning. “Ugh, I think I have a knot in my shoulder.” He grumbled and lay down next to Loki.   
"Let me rest for a little bit and then I'll help work it out."  
Tony held Loki’s hand and sighed. “You just rest and get better.”  
Loki smiled softly.  
Tony smiled back and watched over Loki as he slept.  
"Sir Director Fury is here."  
Tony rolled his eyes but got up and went to see what Fury wanted. “If this is about Loki then you can wait cause he’s sleeping.”  
"His probation is over." Fury said. "But he still has to stay and serve as a member of the team."  
Tony nodded. “How long?”  
“Thor’s father and I agreed on at least two more years.”  
“So does this mean he finally gets his powers back?”  
Fury shook his head. “You’re really eager for him to have that aren’t you?”  
Tony shrugged. “I’m just asking.”  
"Once he recovers from his injuries, Odin wants to wait just a bit longer before giving him half his powers back. He'll be able to do whatever he can with that but he won't be at full strength." Fury explained.  
“Well it’s a start.”   
Fury nodded. “This other guy that came through, Mephisto…”  
“Loki killed him.”  
Fury frowned. "Just like that?"  
"It wasn't a battle for who was better. According to Mr. Laufeyson, Mephisto came for a fight to the death." Jarvis explained.   
“He barely made it out alive Fury. The guy’s so full of holes he looks like a cork.”  
Fury frowned at Tony. “You really care about this guy, don’t you?”  
“Yeah, I do and I don’t see why that’s a bad thing.”  
“It’s a bad thing because he threatened the earth. How many times do I have to remind you?”  
“A couple more times because it’s not true and you know it.”  
“So you’re just going to ignore the fact that he nearly killed you?”  
“Why does this bother you so much?”  
“Because I knew your parents and when they asked me to look out for you, I promised I would! Because you’re the closest thing to a son I’ve got and I’m not going to let you die because you have a crush on our enemy!”   
Tony got quiet as he looked at Fury.   
"I think I preferred it better when you were sleeping around with all the women. I should have seen the I'm-dating-the-bad-boy coming along." Fury sighed. "I still don't trust him, I still don't believe him, but when the bottom of this falls out I won't say I told you so." Fury said.   
Tony clenched his jaw and watched Fury go. He stood quietly in the living room then went back with Loki. He lay on the bed and looked at the god before reaching a hand up and stroking his cheek.   
"Something wrong?" He asked.  
Tony gave a half smile and shook his head. “Nah, it’s fine.”  
Loki nodded as he started to get up. He was black and blue all over. The worst of the wound had healed but it was still clear Loki would need to take it easy for a while.  
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Tony sat up suddenly, ready to tackle Loki back down if he had to. Gently of course.   
"I still have a bladder." Loki replied.  
“Oh.” Tony relaxed and let Loki go without a fuss. “Gods pee?” It wasn’t like it was surprising but he’d never actually stopped to think about it. Loki, the god of Mischief and Lies needed to pee.  
“What I eat and drink has to come out somewhere doesn't it?"  
“Yeah I just hadn’t thought about it.” Tony sat on the bed and just started giggling. “Weird.”  
"How is that weird? I mean really, if you do it after you’ve been drinking, how come I can't do it after I've been drinking?"  
Tony chuckled at the god. “It’s weird because you’re always so fancy and regal. Just seems like something you wouldn’t do.” He shrugged.   
Loki started laughing. He stopped abruptly and gripped his aching side. "Okay no laughing."  
It was Tony’s turn to laugh. He grinned at the god and shook his head. “Sorry Reindeer Games.”  
Loki slowly finished making his way to the bathroom. A few moments later, he returned back from his trip to the restroom. Carefully, he got back in bed with Tony and lay down as comfortable as possible.  
Tony put one hand on Loki’s hip and curled close to him. “You wanna watch a movie? I got you more pudding.”  
Loki perked up at the mention of pudding. "Pudding?"  
Tony grinned and got off the bed then went into the kitchen. He grabbed a pudding cup for Loki and went back to the room.   
“Here, your favorite.”  
"Thank you." He said.  
“No problem.” Tony settled back on the bed again. “Oh, Fury talked to your dad. You get some of your magic back while you’re serving with the Avengers.”  
Loki smiled. "Finally."  
“You have to work with us for two years, but you’ll be a member of the Avengers. After that…after that you can go home.”   
"I decide when I want to go home."  
Tony nodded quietly and rested his head next to Loki’s shoulder. “Guess you’re right.”  
Loki held his hand.  
Tony rubbed his thumb across the back of Loki’s hand, sighing quietly.   
“Jarvis, put on a movie.”  
“Of course Sir.” The AI pulled up a list for Loki and Tony to look through.   
"You pick it." Loki answered, offering some pudding.  
Tony took the offering and hummed in his throat. He looked through the list before picking a movie he thought the god might also enjoy.   
"What movie did you decide on?"  
“Ted.” Tony grinned smugly.   
"Can we watch the Hangover movie afterwards?"  
“Sure.” Tony snuggled against Loki and took some more pudding as the movie came on.  
"I grew up with listening to thunder. I would never fear it."  
“Not everybody has Thor for a brother.” Tony swiped some more pudding then looked at the movie.   
"That is very true. I once saw a child afraid of the sound of the thunder. His mother told him it was Thor fighting the Jotuns."  
“I take it frost giants are like the boogey man of Asgard, right?” Tony looked at Loki.  
Loki nodded. "That and the dark elves." He said.   
“Dark elves?” Tony looked at Loki curiously.  
"Yes, there are other beings than just those of Asgard and Jotunheim. Demons, beasts, monsters."   
Tony shook his head slowly. “Guess all the stuff we read about is real somewhere.”  
"To an extent. Over the years the information was changed or lost. Midgard made up information to replace it."  
“Wonder why people stopped believing all of that stuff?”  
"Because your concept of God destroyed all that."  
“Hey, it’s not my concept. I don’t believe in God.” Tony shrugged. “How did that ruin it though?”  
"Notice what people say is that there is only one God but many cultures have several gods. You're holy book condemns all those who say they were some more than one God."  
“So you all kept away?”   
“We didn't voice our existence. We didn't want people getting hurt." Loki explained.


	96. Chapter 96

Tony looked at Loki then shrugged. “Maybe things would be better if you’d stayed. Hard to fear something that isn’t really there. At least you guys can actually smite people.”  
Loki started laughing. "That is very true." Loki smiled.   
Tony smiled at Loki. “It’s nice to see you smiling again.”  
Loki leaned in and stole a kiss.   
Tony’s eyes widened for a moment but he quickly returned the kiss.   
Loki cupped Tony's cheek as they kissed.  
Tony bought his hand up and brushed his fingers through Loki’s hair, deepening the kiss slightly.   
Loki wrapped an arm around him.  
Tony peppered soft kisses on Loki’s lips then slowly moved his jaw.   
Loki let Tony go ahead and mark his path.  
He kissed further to Loki’s neck, enjoying how the god’s skin felt on his lips. Tony put his hands on Loki’s hips, rubbing them with his thumbs.   
Loki moaned as Tony kept going.  
Tony felt his heart beat faster and slipped his hands up to the god’s waist slowly.   
Loki gasped in pain. He pulled away from Tony. "I'm sorry."  
Tony quickly pulled back and looked at the god worried. “No, no I’m sorry. I-I forgot about your wound.” He looked at Loki’s waist then up into his eyes. “You okay? Did I hurt you?”  
"It’s alright, I'll be alright. Just have to wait until I'm healed."  
Tony nodded and took a quick breath, relaxing. “I guess now I can say I’ve made out with a god.”  
"Shut up and get some sleep."  
Tony snorted and rolled his eyes. “You get some sleep.” He leaned in and kissed Loki again before lying back against the pillow.  
Loki smiled. Loki pulled him closer to lay his head on Tony's chest.  
Tony adjusted himself so Loki could be comfortable. He ran his fingers through the god’s hair slowly, sighing content.   
Loki was fast asleep in no time.  
Tony stayed awake for some time, watching Loki sleep. He looked from the god to the wall, wondering just how long the god would stay. He closed his eyes, trying to get himself to sleep.  
Loki was well healed a week later.  
“You’re going to have a weird scar but it looks fine otherwise. How does it feel?” Bruce looked at Loki as he finished checking the god over.   
"Fine. No more pain, or anything such as that."  
“Good. No infections either, so that’s even better.”   
“I told you I was taking good care of him.”   
Bruce gave Tony an unimpressed frown, but had to admit, Loki was looking better. He’d already gained back some weight and his skin regained color.   
"I'm alive, I'm well and I'm starving." Loki replied.   
“What are you in the mood for?” Tony asked with a little smile.   
"Another burger would be nice." Loki replied. He hadn't had one of those since before Fury took him back into SHIELD custody.  
“Jarvis.”  
“You usual Sir?”  
“Yeah.”  
The AI placed an order for their lunch.   
“He’s been eating good food too, right Tony?” Bruce crossed his arms.   
“Yes, he has Bruce.”  
"I have been eating Doctor." Loki replied. "Jarvis sees to that." Loki replied.   
“I just don’t want you picking up on Tony’s eating habits.”  
“Hey, I eat healthy.”  
“Now that Loki’s back you do.”  
Tony rolled his eyes.  
"I'm not Doctor. I eat just fine but they're still good." Loki said.  
“Good. I have to go but if you need anything text me.”   
“Going back to India?”   
“Africa, this time. HIV testing and education.” Bruce gave a little smile.  
“You’ll need lots of sun screen.” Tony chuckled.   
"I'll call you when I can." Bruce added.  
“Take care of yourself.” Tony walked Bruce out and brought the burgers back up when they arrived. He set the bag on the table and grinned.   
“You never get tired of an old fashioned burger.”  
"No, you do not." Loki smiled.   
Tony handed one of the burgers to Loki then set the fries out. “I got an extra orders of fries this time.”   
"Perfect." Loki tucked into his burger and fries.  
Tony picked up his own burger and took a large bite, humming in his throat.   
"Now that I'm all healed, we can make out properly."  
Tony nearly choked on his burger when Loki said this. He looked at the god and a little smile began to curl his lips.   
“Oh yeah?”  
"Yes. I like kissing you."  
Tony grinned rather stupidly and looked away from the god, his cheeks tinged red. He was never the shy type, but hearing Loki say that made him feel so odd. He felt…sheepish.   
“I like kissing you too. Just can’t do it too fast or I get a brain freeze.” He chided playfully.   
"You'll benefit better if you don't make ice or cold jokes."  
Tony smiled innocently at the god. “Alright.” He finished his lunch and swiped a few fries from Loki.   
Loki rolled his eyes, letting Tony get the fries.  
Tony smiled triumphantly then wiped his mouth.   
Loki finished eating his burger and ate a good portion of his fries.  
Tony watched the god eat hearty, sipping his drink.   
"What?" Loki questioned as he saw Tony staring.  
Tony just smiled slowly and shrugged. “Nothing. You’re just amazing to look at.”  
"You're very handsome yourself." He smiled  
“Thanks.” Tony winked playfully at Loki then scooted closer to the god. He kissed his cheek.   
Loki smiled at him. "Yes?"  
Tony smiled back, looking into the god’s eyes before kissing his lips softly.   
Loki returned the kiss with a soft smile playing on his lips.   
Tony deepened the kiss slightly, cupping Loki’s face in his hands.   
Loki let Tony take the lead on their kiss.   
He let his fingers skate back into Loki’s hair and tangled them in the dark locks. Tony moved from the god’s lips to his cheek slowly.  
Loki pulled back and stood up, his hand in Tony's. "Let’s move somewhere more comfortable."  
“I can do that.” Tony grinned playfully and guided Loki to the bedroom. “This comfortable enough?”  
"Yes." Loki replied and brought them together again.  
Tony kissed Loki readily, pulling the god over to the bed. He fell back with Loki and pressed kisses to his neck.   
Loki revealed his neck to him so Tony could keep going.  
He lavished the skin of Loki’s neck, nipping at the seam where the Loki’s neck melded into his ear.   
Loki's hands started to wander the man's waist and back.  
Tony arched into the cool touch, humming in his throat. He slipped one hand into Loki’s shirt, slowly inching his way to the god’s waist.   
Loki traded places with Tony and started to nip at his neck.  
Tony shuddered slightly, craning his head to the side. Admittedly, it had been quite a while since he’d been this close to anyone. Once he started dating Loki, the god was all he could think about.   
Loki lightly dragged a nail down Tony's back.  
Tony groaned against Loki’s neck, bringing his hands up to the god’s chest. He kneaded the pale skin under his hands, rubbing small circles into it.  
Loki chuckled slightly, licking the shell of Tony's ear.  
Tony gasped quietly, brushing his lips against Loki’s neck. He’d never been quite this intimate with anyone. He squeezed along Loki’s sides slowly, rubbing his thumbs into his skin before reaching up to his chest.  
Loki brought their lips back together. "Enjoying how I feel?" Loki asked.   
Tony looked into Loki’s eyes and smiled. “Just a little, yeah. I probably don’t feel that great though.” He reached his hands up, brushing them over Loki’s nipples. He smirked a bit when he heard a sharp gasp from the god.   
Loki stopped his hand on Tony's back.   
“Is it my turn to find your hot spots?” Tony tugged teasingly on the god’s earlobe, playing with his nipples again.  
Loki didn't say anything or stop Tony.  
Tony kissed the god again, running his hands up and down Loki’s body. He brought one up and tangled his fingers in Loki’s hair.   
Loki hummed into the kiss, smiling mentally.   
"Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts is here to see you."  
Tony whined disappointed and buried his face in Loki’s neck. “Tell her we’re not here.”  
“I am afraid she knows you’re here Sir.”   
Tony grumbled and sat back on his heels. “Fine.”


	97. Chapter 97

Loki fixed his clothes and sat up. "Come on."   
Tony brushed his fingers through his hair then stepped out of the room with Loki.   
Pepper walked in a few moments later and smiled at the two.   
“Good to see you back here Loki.”   
Loki nodded at her. "Good to see you as well Ms. Potts."   
“You look like you’re getting better.”   
“He’s gained some of the weight back. Bruce says he still has a couple pounds to go before he’s back at healthy again.”  
Pepper nodded. "Has Fury given you any freedom?" Pepper asked.   
"He has. I am free to travel and once I'm back to my full health I will be given some of my powers back." Loki smiled.   
“That’s good to…”  
“And we’re dating.” Tony quickly added in then pursed his lips, hoping Pepper wouldn’t hear. Apparently she did. Her smile faded and she stared at Tony shocked.   
“You’re…dating? I’m sorry, dating who?”  
“Loki.”  
“Tony can I talk to you?” The redhead pursed her lips and stood tall, giving Tony her infamous you’re-in-deep-shit look.  
“Look, before you get mad, at least let me explain.”  
"I thought maybe this would be a fling. That maybe it was a let me screw him and get it out of my system. But are you mad?" She asked.   
“No, I’m actually very sane.”  
“Obviously.”  
“Pep, listen…”  
“No, you listen. What’s going to happen when Fury finds out? Or better yet, how do you think Thor’s going to react when he finds out?”  
“Honestly, I don’t think it’s anybody else’s business what we do.” Tony looked at Pepper.   
"When this ends badly I don't want to see your tears. If I do that's it. Here is an invitation to the gala this year. You'd better be there." She said.  
“I’ll be there.” Tony sassed back at the woman, taking the invitation. “And I’m not going to cry.”  
“Sure you won’t.” Pepper shook her head.   
Tony looked at her then went to set the invitation in his room.   
Pepper gave one to Loki as well. One was being sent to each of the Avengers as well.  
The redhead looked at Loki almost nervously. “Loki, are you guys sure you know what you’re doing?” She was happy for them, she really was but there quite a few risks with this.   
Tony walked over after a moment, listening to Pepper and Loki.  
"Of course we don't." Loki replied. "But for now we'll pretend we know what we're doing and enjoy each other for the time we'll have each other." Loki said.   
Pepper tried to look at Loki sternly but couldn’t help the little smile that crept onto her face. “All right. Well, I hope you can make it to the gala then.”  
“We’ll be there.” Tony gave her a little nod.   
Loki nodded at her. Loki wondered how his powers would be by the date or if he'd be at full health by then.  
“I’ll see you guys later.” Pepper nodded her head a bit then left the pair.   
“Bye Pep.” Tony watched her go then sighed. “I’m thinking people only walk in because they know we’re making out.”  
Loki chuckled a bit. "Maybe.” He smile  
“Well they’d better knock it off.” Tony pressed soft kiss to Loki’s neck.   
"Want to start up again?"  
Tony smiled against Loki’s neck and kissed again, running his hands up the god’s chest slowly. “If you’re up to it.”  
"No, let's watch a movie."  
Tony scoffed and pressed his forehead against Loki’s shoulder. “Fine.” He sighed and went to the living room with the god.   
"You'll survive." Loki chuckled.  
Tony scoffed and sat on the couch with Loki. “But I won’t get kisses.”  
"Yes you will."   
Tony looked at Loki and gave a little smile before looking back at the TV. “Your turn to pick.”  
Loki put on kitchen nightmares.  
“You had to pick this? I’m going to be starving by the time it’s over.” This was the reason Tony hated watching shows with food.  
"Then just eat again." Loki replied.   
“You want to me fat, don’t you?” Tony kissed Loki’s cheek then watched the show. After a minutes, he had to get up for a snack.  
"No, I'm not going to make you fat. I like you the way you are."  
“Oh, is that right?” Tony asked and winked at the god then went back over with the popcorn.  
"Very right." Loki replied.   
Tony chuckled and snuggled close to the god, munching on some popcorn.  
Loki partook in some of the popcorn as well.  
Tony felt his mouth start watering at some of the food then felt ill when he saw the kitchens. “That’s disgusting.”  
"That is." Loki frowned, his nose wrinkling.  
Tony shuddered and shook his head, eating some more popcorn.  
"Which, considering I have actually cleaned my own kills, should say something."  
Tony snorted and glanced at Loki. “Guess it does huh?”   
"Very much so." Loki replied.  
“Course, I don’t think it’s very fair to compare this to gods.” Tony smiled at Loki.  
Loki shrugged. "Well let’s see, you mortals cook with stoves, we cook our meat on a spit over a fire."   
“Don’t talk about food, I’m hungry enough as it is.” Tony grumbled, eating the last pieces of popcorn.   
Loki chuckled. "Alright."   
Tony pressed his shoulder to Loki’s, watching the rest of the show quietly before he noticed it was raining. A particularly bright flash of thunder shot across the sky and the thunder that came after shook the tower. Tony jumped and grabbed Loki out of instinct.  
“There’s a storm?”  
“Yes Sir. There will be storms all through this week.”  
Loki wrapped an arm around him and smiled. "Calm down."  
Tony leaned against Loki, sighing quietly at the rumbles outside.   
Loki rubbed his shoulder and continued to watch TV.  
Tony focused as best he could on the show, tensing every so often at the particularly loud rumbles of thunder outside.   
Loki stopped paying attention to the TV and started paying attention to the storm. He picked out which ones were Thor and which one were nature.  
Tony ended up falling asleep with his head in the crook of Loki’s neck. He hand a bunch of the god’s shirt in his hand, holding tight.  
Loki let Tony stay there for a few hours before falling asleep himself. He knew he would pay for it later on but if it meant Tony had a good night sleep he would survive.  
Tony slept well, all things considered. He mumbled quietly in his sleep, brow furrowed. His hands stayed nestled in Loki’s shirt the entire night.   
When he woke the next morning, he jolted awake, confused by the odd dream he’d had.   
“Don’t!” He frowned and blinked then ran a hand over his face.   
Loki on the other hand screamed in pain. "Get off my balls!" He said.  
Tony jumped back and flew off the couch. He groaned and got up slowly. “I’m sorry!” He looked at Loki and shook his head.   
Loki cupped his aching junk and curled up. "Ow."   
“I’m really, really sorry.” Tony reached for Loki, rubbing his back but he was unsure what else to do.  
"You know just because I'm immortal doesn't mean that those don't hurt."  
“Well it’s not like I did it on purpose.” Tony huffed, rubbing Loki’s back still.  
Loki finally got it together.  
Tony looked at Loki, half expecting a punch to his groin. “If you want to hit me back that’s completely understandable.”  
"I'm not going to punch you."  
Tony sighed relieved and nodded. “Do you want pudding?”   
"Yes, please." Loki answered.  
Tony went into the kitchen and got a pudding cup for the god. He handed it to Loki. “I know this isn’t really a consolation, but I was saving your life in my dream.”  
"From what?"  
Tony sat on the bed and shrugged. “The Chitauri. They pushed me into another black hole though.”  
"They are dead. Or at least I hope they are." Loki stated.  
“They’re dead. I was still somewhat on their side when the bomb went off; they’re dead.” Tony’s gaze went distant for a moment before he blinked himself back. “Anyway, I’m sorry.”


	98. Chapter 98

"I'll live." He answered.  
Tony smiled and nodded. “You’d better. We still haven’t gotten to the good parts; can’t go breaking you.”   
Loki chuckled. "No, we can't."  
“Right.” Tony kissed Loki’s cheek then sat back with a little smile.   
"Sir, I have arranged a fitting for you and Mr. Laufeyson for the gala. I have also arranged for your usual charity donation and for Happy to drive you there and back."  
“Thanks Jarv. When’s the fitting?”  
“Anytime today Sir, preferably. You will need enough time to get the suits made.”   
“All right.”   
"I need to gain weight before I go to that thing.” Loki replied. He didn't like ill-fitting clothes.  
“We’ll fatten you up as much as we can before next Friday.” Tony smiled.   
Loki rolled his eyes. "Is it really next Friday?"  
“I think so. You could try some protein supplement. It might help you get back some muscle.”  
"I'll work out to get that back. I did it for years and I'll do it again."  
“Oh, sexy.” Tony wiggled his brow at Loki then kissed his cheek again.  
"Glad you think so." Loki smiled.  
“Of course I think so. Have you seen your ass?”  
"I can’t see what's behind me."  
“That’s fine. I can stare at it for you.” Tony grinned.  
“That’s good to know."  
Tony grinned at Loki and stood to get something from the kitchen.   
Later that day, Jarvis took measurements of them both, though he averaged out Loki’s weight.   
“I am altering your measurements slightly Mr. Laufeyson, so the suit will have room when you gain weight back.”  
"Thank you Jarvis." Loki replied.   
"You're welcome, Sir."   
“Here are some color choices. I ran them boy miss Potts.”  
Tony looked through. “Oh, dark blue.” He grinned.   
"Jarvis please make sure mine is black." Loki added.   
“Very well Mr. Laufeyson.” Jarvis made all the arrangements and sent them off so the suits could be made.   
“The suits will arrive within the next three days Sir.”  
“All right.”  
“Also, Director Fury has left you a message.”  
“Email?”  
“Yes Sir.”  
“Pull it up.”  
Loki patted him on the shoulder. "I'll be in the room." He said.   
Tony nodded at Loki then read the email. At least it wasn’t a red-alert, though it did seem important.   
“Something wrong Sir?”  
“I don’t know but it might be later.”  
"Jarvis?" Loki called to the ceiling.  
"Yes?"  
"I would like you to order me a dress of green and gold for the gala in two weeks. Don't tell Stark about it." He said.   
“Of course Mr. Laufeyson. May I ask why?”  
Tony re-read the message a few times. “Jarv, call Fury for me.”  
“I am afraid he is not available at the moment Sir.”  
“Damn it.”  
"Because I'll have my powers back and I want to get Stark back for landing me in my privates."  
“Very well.” Jarvis sounded almost amused and placed the order for the dress.   
“Leave him a message for me. Tell him to call me back as soon as he gets a chance.”  
“Of course Sir.”  
Loki smiled. With the dress ordered he would be able to get back at Stark.  
The suits arrived a few days later and Tony tried his on. He grinned at the way it fit.   
“Doesn’t look that bad huh?”   
“It is quite fitting Sir.”  
“Hey Loki, how does yours fit?”  
"It fits fine, but I won't be going to the gala. I'm sorry." Loki replied.   
Tony stared at Loki shocked. “What? So I’m going by myself?” Tony groaned and started taking the suit off.   
“Sir, do not pout. It is unfitting of you.”  
Tony frowned at the ceiling. “Sorry Mom.”  
"Yes, you are. I'm hardly going to risk my safety." Loki replied. "I am still hated by others." Loki added.   
Tony scoffed but he knew Loki was right. Everybody still griped about Loki going with them on missions. And the Avengers wouldn’t be the only ones at the gala; there would be many partners of his business and old friends there. They’d all lose it if they saw Loki.   
“Fine, fine. But you owe me.”  
"What prey tell would I owe you for not going?" Loki asked curious.  
“Another make out session. Pepper’s going to chew me out for you not going since she can’t get mad at you.”  
"She can get mad at me but I'm sure once you explain to her my reasons for not going she will understand."   
“Yeah.” Tony sighed. “I wish you could come.” Tony gave a half-hearted smile.   
"I know." Loki replied. "We’ll have that day." Loki answered.  
Tony nodded. “Guess you’re right. Tell you what, I’ll bring you back a snack from the party.” Tony smiled and kissed Loki’s cheek.   
It was finally Friday and time for the gala. Tony finished fixing his tie and reached for his cologne.   
“You sure you don’t want to go? Last chance to change your mind.” Tony looked at Loki as he spoke.   
Loki nodded. "I'm positive. Have fun." Loki replied.  
Tony sighed. “Fine. I’ll see you later.” He stole a quick kiss then headed to the garage.   
“Jarvis.”  
“Locking down the tower now Sir, though it is really not necessary. Mr. Laufeyson is no longer a security risk.”  
“I know, but I don’t want any surprises. Just do this for me.” He got into the car and headed off.  
"Of course, sir."   
Once he was gone Jarvis told Loki.  
Loki smiled when Jarvis told him Tony was gone. Getting up Loki went to get dressed. The dress he had was a green and gold corset. This skirt was floor length and trailed behind him by just the slightest. The change to his body by using his magic was one that could be only imagined. His black hair came down in waves and reached the center of his back. He suddenly had hips and a rather large chest Loki still had his mischievous green eyes.   
Once dressed Loki looked at himself in the mirror and headed out the door to the car.  
Jarvis had control of the vehicle, much like he did whenever Tony didn’t feel like driving.   
“Do you have your invitation Mr. Laufeyson?”  
Tony arrived at the gala and greeted a few people as he walked in, looking for Pepper. He smiled at the redhead.   
“Nice dress.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Did you remember to wear deodorant this time?”  
Pepper scoffed and smacked Tony’s arm lightly. “You’re not funny.”  
Tony just chuckled and shrugged. He’d found it plenty funny.   
“So Loki didn’t change his mind?”  
“No, but he had a good point. I don’t like it but he’s right; public appearances are something we should go slowly with.”  
"I do, Jarvis." Even his voice had taken on a feminine tone.  
When the car arrived at the front door Loki smiled before stepping out. It seemed a woman coming to a party alone was a strange thing for Midgardians.   
The valet couldn’t help but stare at Loki in awe. He took the keys for the car, watching as the disguised god walked in.   
All eyes turned to the god, though no one seemed to know who it was. Murmurs and hushed whispered passed between everyone at the sight of Loki.   
Tony eventually noticed all the quietness and looked up. His eyes widened at the sight. The newest guest was stunning. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone so regal, except maybe Loki.  
Loki couldn't help but chuckle a bit as she headed to the bar.   
Pepper even stopped to stare at the disguised god. "She looks like she could be related to Loki." Pepper said.   
Ordering a drink Loki tried to think of a name for himself.   
“I know.” Tony stared at the splendid woman then quickly downed his drink. “She’s…stunning.”  
Pepper nodded slowly and sipped her drink. “I’m surprised you’re not over there right now.”  
Tony chuckled dryly. “I’m taken, remember?” Even as he said that though, he couldn’t help but feel drawn to the woman at the bar. A little chat wouldn’t hurt, right?   
"Remaining faithful?" She asked. "Good luck." Pepper said, walking off.  
Tony watched Pepper go and frowned slightly. He looked back over at the other woman then took a deep breath and walked over.   
“I don’t think we’ve met.” He gave a little smile. Those eyes. They were such a beautiful jade green. If it weren’t for the fact that Loki was a man, he’d have sworn it was him.   
"We haven't, I would certainly remember meeting Tony Stark." She said.   
A chill went through Tony as the sound of his name leaving the woman’s lips. He felt his smile grow a bit and he chuckled.   
“Okay, you know who I am. Who are you?”  
"My name is Vadoma, Vadoma Cooper."  
“Vadoma. Nice name. So, are you one of the benefactors?” Tony was fascinated with Vadoma, but he still couldn’t quite put his finger on why.   
"Positive." She smiled. Looking at the dance floor as the music started to play. "Do you dance Mr. Stark?"  
“If you want me to.” Tony smiled back, feeling his heart skip a beat. Everything about this woman seemed so familiar but he knew he’d never met her before. He took her hand and they walked onto the dance floor.   
Loki was having far too much fun.  
Across the room Clint was pouting. "Of course he goes after the prettiest woman in the whole place."  
“I don’t really think you’d have much of a chance there Clint. She is beautiful though.” Natasha sipped her drink as she watched Tony and the woman dance. She seemed familiar almost.   
Tony danced slowly with Vadoma, one hand laced with hers and another on her waist.   
“What perfume are you wearing?” Tony asked then took another whiff. “It smells nice.”  
"Something a friend gave me for my birthday.” She replied.  
"Men from the forties would have fought to have her." Steve explained.  
“Yeah well some women now a days would join in.” Natasha added, a little smile curling her lips.   
“It’s nice on you.” Tony gave a little smile and twirled Vadoma before pulling her close again. “Can I be honest about something?”  
"Of course Mr. Stark." She replied.  
“I’m dating somebody right now but you look amazing. I mean just…wow.” Tony looked the woman over.   
Loki frowned. "Am I prettier than them?" He asked. "Could I not sway you?"  
Tony felt his throat go dry. “Sorry but this person is…” He smiled slowly. “They’re pretty amazing. It took me a long time to get this far in our relationship.”


	99. Chapter 99

She leaned in close. "Please Mr. Stark. No one will know."  
Tony looked at the woman and sighed. “I’ll know. And I’ll have to live with that.” He gave a half-hearted smile. “We can be friends, but that’s about it.” He was almost regretting having decided to settle down so early. This woman was gorgeous.   
"I will too. Just one night Mr. Stark, to get the fire out of our veins. So we never have to wonder what could have been. Besides any sensible woman wouldn't have let you go out alone."  
Tony couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “Funny thing, it’s not a woman.” He smiled playfully at Vadoma. He was so tempted, but if Loki ever found out, he’d never forgive himself.   
"Tony Stark swings both ways?" She asked. "One night, that is all I ask and if you don't absolutely love it, I'll confess myself to your lover and say I drugged you."   
Tony looked at Vadoma skeptically but felt himself sway. “We can’t leave together for obvious reasons and we can’t really go back to my place.” One small night of fun wouldn’t hurt, right?   
Tony left first and met Vadoma outside some minutes later. He felt a strange flutter in his stomach, much like he felt back when he would flirt with Loki before they were dating.   
"I don't live in the city but I have a hotel room." She said. She'd messaged Jarvis using one of Stark's phones that he'd been given and had him set up a room at a nice hotel nearby.  
He opened the car door for her and got into the driver’s seat.   
“So what happens if I like it?” Tony asked her with a little smile and started driving to the hotel.   
"You can decided. You can go back to your lover or we continue the affair."   
Tony glanced at Vadoma then went inside with her.   
“I’m not big on affairs. This might be our first and last time seeing each other.” It almost seemed like a waste. Tony looked at the woman, about to speak when she stopped him with a kiss. A breath caught in his throat; even her lips felt like Loki’s.  
Loki smiled as he pulled back from Tony. Getting up to the room she let them in, and locked the door.   
"I am yours Mr. Stark."   
Tony chuckled and kissed the disguised god again, hands venturing to his cinched waist. He felt Vadoma loosen his tie and he smiled playfully as he was pushed back onto the bed.   
“Make sure you don’t lose that tie. It’s my favorite.”  
"Of course not." Loki replied. She lifted his arms above his head and tied them to the bed. Loki stood at the foot of the bed then and reached behind her to unzip her dress and let it pool at her ankles.   
Tony’s eyes widened as he marveled at the body he saw. Every dip and curve and every inch of perfect, pale skin. It was breathtaking. He swallowed thickly, feeling mind go numb just from the sight.   
“Oh my God.”  
Crawling up the bed Loki stopped so he could straddled Tony's waist.   
"Do you like what you see Mr. Stark?" He whispered into his ear.  
“Oh fuck yeah.” Tony shuddered, feeling Vadoma’s cool breath on his skin. Maybe he could beg Loki to let them try an open relationship. He looked at Vadoma, his breathing shaky already. “You look amazing.”  
"Do I?" She asked. Loki adjusted himself a bit do he could press a knee to Tony's manhood ever so slightly.   
Tony let out a weak moan, his legs spreading slightly. He wasn’t exactly used to nice, slow sex. Usually it was a few kisses, a quickie in bed and then he was gone. This was so different it was making him dizzy.  
Loki watched as Stark's head fell back against the pillows on the bed.   
"This is payback for knocking me in the balls." The voice suddenly changed to one of a familiar tone. Loki jolted his knee in the slightest. Enough to make it hurt but not any lasting damage.  
Tony gasped and withdrew, groaning out in pain.   
“Ow! Motherfucker!” He grit his teeth then glared at Vadoma only to find she wasn’t a woman anymore. Slowly he body changed and Tony’s mouth hung slack open. “What the hell?” He was in pain and confused, not to mention the fact that he was still slightly horny. What a lovely mix.   
Loki stood before him still in ladies underwear. "Payback for kicking me in the balls last week." Loki picked up the dress and tossed it onto the bed.   
Tony scoffed. “That was an accident! You gave me a boner and kneed me in the balls!” Tony grumbled, still in some pain. He scowled up at the god. “You know if you weren’t so sexy I’d be really mad at you right now. Untie me.”  
Loki chuckled. "Of course I gave you a hard on. That was the point."   
Tony frowned. “You’re not cute. Untie me please. My wrists hurt.” Tony struggled against his own tie, suddenly cursing how well it was made.   
Loki used his magic to cloth himself. With a snap of his fingers the tie was gone.  
Tony rubbed his wrists and looked at the god. “You owe me for this.” He pouted. “I’m all horny and in pain and you’re just sitting there giggling.”  
Loki shrugged. "If need be I'll leave you alone for a few minutes to tend to yourself."  
“I think you’re missing the point.” Tony stood, groaning a bit. “Did you have fun at the gala at least?”  
"I did. You?" He asked.  
Tony shrugged. “Would have nicer if I’d known you were there.” He gave Loki a half smile. “We should go back to the tower.”   
"We should." Loki replied. "Did you enjoy my female form?"  
“Obviously I did. Or couldn’t you tell?” Tony looked at the god then walked out of the hotel with him. “I’m guessing Jarvis was in on this?”  
"Yes." Loki smiled. Loki picked up his dress and smiled at it. "I think I'll save this."   
“You should. I think it’d look sexy on you as a guy.” Tony smiled a bit at the god and got into his car. He sighed. “Pepper’s probably going to ask about you tomorrow, or Vadoma, I guess.” He groaned; he didn’t want to have to explain this to Pepper.  
Loki shrugged. "And?" Loki asked.   
“What do you mean ‘and?’ She’ll bring it up every time she sees me.” Tony shook his head and drove back to the tower with Loki, his other car following behind them.   
They arrived back and Tony looked at the god. “You look amazing though.” He smiled a bit and walked inside.   
"Then simply tell her it was me in disguise." Loki replied. "Though I might change my appearance a bit just to toy with Barton.”   
Tony laughed and nodded. “You should do that. Did you see his face?”   
"No, I was with you the entire time.” Loki smiled at him.  
Tony looked at the god then away with a sheepish little smile, feeling his cheeks get warm. He took of his suit coat and belt, tossing them onto the couch.   
Loki headed off for his room. "You can join me when you're ready."   
Tony watched the god go then changed into a T-shirt and some sweats. He had to admit, the gala was more fun than he’d thought it would be.   
He headed to Loki’s room and nestled on the bed next to the god.   
"You're comfortable." Loki smiled.   
Tony snuggled back against the pillows and sighed. “Yeah, pretty comfortable.” He smirked at Loki.  
Loki chuckled at him. "Good night Anthony."   
Tony smiled back at Loki then closed his eyes. “Night.”  
The following morning brought on buckets upon buckets of pouring rain.   
Tony sat at the island, sipping his coffee and looking through the newspaper. There wasn’t anything very interesting, though it seemed liked Natasha had a case in the city recently; her signature mark of leaving a bunch of bloody men in her wake was everywhere.  
Loki chuckled as he slipped breakfast in front of Tony. "Eat up." He told him.   
The inventor looked down at the meal then smiled a bit at Loki. “That’s sweet.” He winked at Loki and took a bite.  
Loki set up his down plate and soon sat down to join Tony.   
“I’m not saying that you have to answer but can you tell me anything about your kids?” It had been quite some time since the last time he’d asked. There was still so much he didn’t know about Loki.  
"Sleipnir is safe and living in Asgard. Hela made a name for herself and lives in Helheim as its ruler. She is as powerful as I am and every bit as beautiful. I don't know where Fenrir is." Loki replied.  
“Do all of them look like you or do they look like…” Tony didn’t know how to finish the question. He wondered if the children would look as human as Loki did or if they would look more monstrous and otherworldly.  
"Due to circumstances, Fenrir was born in a wolf form. Hela is half dead. Sleipnir is a horse with eight legs." He said.   
Tony’s eyes widened. “Eight legs? That must have been hell to push out.”   
"I was a horse at the time and the pain wasn't as bad as bad." He explained.   
Tony shook his head, trying to get that image out of his mind. “You ever talk to them?”  
"No. Hela is in another realm, Odin has forbidden me to see my eldest. I don't know where my third child is."  
Tony frowned at this and shook his head. “Guess it makes more sense now why you don’t really like your family.” He took another bite of his meal.   
"Odin took them from me and Thor held me down while he did it."  
Tony looked at Loki wide eyed when he said this. “Are you serious?”  
"Is that something else my brother did not tell you? You know there is probably a great deal of things he has yet to reveal to you. Maybe even the fact that he may make it seem like we were thick as thieves but in all truth we really weren't."  
Tony nodded and sighed. “I tried to ask him about what you guys went through, but all he told me was that I needed to ask you.” The inventor shook his head, lips pursed. “How could he…?” The question trailed off and Tony clenched his jaw.   
"The same way he nearly got us killed as children. The same way he left me behind calling me a tag along until he realized I was useful. The same way he cut up my stuffed cat and laughed when I cried."  
Tony scowled then looked at Loki and reached for his hand. “Just a fair warning, I might try to kill your brother the next time he comes to visit.”  
“I would very much like to see you try that Sir.”   
Tony frowned at the ceiling then returned his attention to Loki.   
"Do what you will." He said.  
It was sickening to think Thor could do something like that. It wasn’t as if Loki were a stranger; this was his younger brother. Tony was quiet for a moment, rubbing his thumb across the back of Loki’s hand slowly.  
"Stop pitying me." Loki ordered.  
“I’m not.” Tony snapped at the god. “I don’t pity people and I’m not doing it to you.” He huffed quietly then let go of Loki’s hand.   
Loki looked him in the eyes.  
Tony looked back at Loki, feeling himself get lost in the god’s green eyes. If they ever fought he’d more than likely lose out just because of those eyes.   
“Don’t give me the pouty eyes. It doesn’t work.”  
"I'm not pouting. So they don't count as pouty eyes. I'm just staring at you."   
“Is this a contest to see who can go longer without blinking? Cause it’s not fair since you’re a god.”  
Loki smiled. "No it was never a contest." He said.   
“Good, because I would beat you.” Tony smiled then quickly kissed Loki before picking up his plate.   
Loki shook his head. "You'd lose."   
Tony rolled his eyes and got one of his green drinks out of the fridge. His arc had been bothering him for a few days now, but the scans showed nothing wrong. He pursed his lips at the slight pain then took a big gulp of his drink.   
Loki frowned when he saw this. "Is something wrong?"  
“Hmm? No, it’s just my chest.” Tony furrowed his brow slightly, sucking in a breath. He downed the rest of his drink and shook his head. “I’ll be fine.” He gave Loki a stiff smile. “Jarvis, get me another scan.”  
“Of course Sir. Shall I also test your blood-toxin levels?”  
“Yeah and reduce the scans to check if the metal has moved at all.”  
"Right away, Sir. I'll need a blood sample."   
“Yeah.” Tony grabbed some water then glanced at Loki. “I’ll be in the lab, okay? Oh, and there’s more pudding in the fridge.” Tony walked down into his lab and over to one of the tables. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”


	100. Chapter 100

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE BIG 100
> 
> There is still more to come.

Loki went to what had become their bedroom. Sighing he wondered what was in Tony's chest.  
Tony groaned loudly and closed his eyes suddenly. He put a hand to his reactor and quickly sat in the chair, gripping it as the pain increased.   
“Just relax Sir.”  
“Yeah, that’s what I’m trying to do.” He took a shuddering breath and let the mechanical arms begin the scan.  
Jarvis explained what happened to tony.   
“Ow! Jarvis, gently!”  
“I am being as gentle as possible Sir. Please, stop whining.”  
Tony huffed and grumbled, nearly holding his breath until the scans were over. He sighed relieved as the pain medication finally started to kick in.   
“When Mr. Stark was attacked several years ago, pieces of metal flew into his chest. They are in such a delicate place that it is impossible to remove them without killing him. Not to mention the damage to his heart is irreparable.” Jarvis explained to Loki then showed him a hologram of Tony’s heart. “If Mr. Stark undergoes too much stress, it can cause the shrapnel to burry closer to his heart.”  
Loki frowned. "Can it not be removed?" He asked.  
"No, that kind of surgery might kill him." Jarvis answered.  
"Sir the pain you are feeling is due to the amount of alcohol you consumed when Fury had Loki for the second time. You need a detox."  
Tony nodded, his hands shaking slightly. “We’ll do that tonight.” He ran a hand over his face and let go of a heavy sigh.   
“I’m afraid Mr. Stark’s days are numbered. I have estimated he may have at most ten more years before the toxins from his reactor kill him. That is if this line of work does not do so first.”  
"But what if the metal could be removed from his chest? Could he not live longer?" Loki asked.  
“Certainly. Could the metal be removed, he would live quite a while longer, at least another thirty years. Sadly, it is not possible. Even micro-surgery would cause too much internal bleeding; he would die before all the shrapnel could be removed.”   
Tony took out his reactor and hooked himself to another machine. It kept the magnet in his chest powered but didn’t pump toxins into his system. Even with his new reactor he had to be careful; though it hardly released as much toxin as his palladium reactor, it still affected him.   
“I am running the detox now Sir.”  
“All right.” Tony lay back in the chair and sighed.  
Loki nodded. Loki thought for a moment. Now that he had part of his magic back he was allowed back in Asgard.  
"Jarvis how long will Anthony be in the lab?"  
"Four hours at the least."  
"I will be back. If while he's in the lab and is looking for me tell him I've gone to take a nap."  
"Shall do, Sir. Where are you going?"  
"Asgard."  
“Please do be careful Mr. Laufeyson.”   
Heimdall had been watching over Loki and nodded to himself when he heard the god’s decision to return home. He quickly informed Odin and the Allfather, of course, told Frigga. She was beaming, more than excited to have her son home again.  
“We should welcome him back, have a celebration.”  
Odin chuckled at his wife’s eagerness and took her hands in his. “My darling, he is not coming to stay.”  
Tony played on his phone while the detox was running. He hated how long he had to sit still, but he always felt so much better when it was done. Thanks to his new element, the simple detox cleared out his system and even reversed any damage done.  
“How’s Loki?”  
“He is fine Sir.”  
Frigga met Loki at the Bifrost. While Loki did greet her and hug her he explained he could not say. That he was pressed for time and needed to go.  
Frigga was disheartened to hear it but nodded. “What is it you need? Is something wrong?” Her eyes filled with worry as she walked back with Loki to the palace.  
“Do you think I should get my hair cut?”  
“How would you cut it Sir?”  
Tony shrugged, scrolling through some hair styles. He’d been thinking about it but hadn’t made up his mind yet.  
"I need the books we have on metals." Loki replied. "I need to help someone and to do so I must look for this information."  
Frigga nodded and walked with Loki to the library. She quickly went to some of the shelves and pulled out a few books.   
“This is all we have here.” She looked at her son. “Loki, just how will this help?”  
"There is metal in his chest that is slowly digging its way to his heart. If it continues he'll die." Loki explained. "If I can stop it, he'll live longer."  
Frigga looked at her son and sighed softly. “Loki, a spell of that delicacy requires so much focus. And you do not yet have all of your power back; it will take years before you master it. If you are not careful, you will do more harm than good.”  
Tony tapped his foot as he sat in the chair still.   
“How we doing?”  
“Just over halfway done Sir. I will continue to monitor you but so far the scans on your reactor are turning up nothing. It was simply stress causing the shrapnel to move.”  
“All right.”  
"I don't care. That means I have time to find the spell and help him." Loki replied to her. "How many times did you help father after a battle? Patching up his wounds even when you thought it was pointless."  
Frigga put her hand on Loki’s shoulder. “I am not trying to sway you Loki, I am simply telling you this now.” She stroked her son’s cheek softly then smiled a bit. “You are certainly determined. I have not seen that look in your eyes since you began your magic. Does this Midgardian mean so much to you?”  
Loki looked back at her. "He does." Loki replied. He certainly hoped it wouldn’t be matter of Thor loving his mortal and him loving Stark.  
The queen smiled and shook her head fondly. “I was always so afraid you would not find love. Perhaps you were simply looking in the wrong place.” She kissed her son’s cheek. “Go on then.”  
Tony was just finishing up the detox session. He’d be achy for a few days, but it was better than the chest pains. He played on his phone as Jarvis disconnected the spare charger from his chest.   
Loki headed back to Midgard as quickly as he could. Once he was back he went into the bedroom and made it look as if he hadn't done anything.  
Tony went back upstairs just a few minutes after Loki had arrived. He burped loudly and shook his head.   
“That felt good.”  
“Are you feeling better now Sir?”  
“Yeah. Go ahead and start the skeleton for a new reactor.”  
“This one is functioning well Sir.”  
“Yeah but I want another spare just in case.”  
"Of course, Sir. I'll get started right away. Loki has woken up from his nap as well.”  
“Oh yeah? How’s he doing?”  
“He is fine Sir. Are you feeling guilty?”  
Tony rolled his eyes and went to the fridge for some water. “I didn’t do anything. He’s the one that got paranoid that I was pitying him.”  
"But you were feeling sorry for him.” He explained.  
“After finding out he got his kids taken away, yeah, I felt sorry for him.” Tony sipped his water then took a seat.   
Jarvis would have nodded had he a body. "But you know he doesn't want that."   
“I’m not pitying him Jarvis. I felt bad for Rogers when he told me his best friend died and I felt bad when Pepper told me her dad got cancer.” Tony pursed his lips a bit and looked towards Loki’s room.   
Loki smiled at him. "Hello." Loki looked back at the book he was reading.  
Tony smiled a bit, unable to help himself. “Hey.” He stood and walked over. “What are you reading?”  
"Book from Asgard." Loki replied.  
Tony glanced over and frowned. “Is it supposed to be written in chicken scratch?” He didn’t understand anything that was on the page. Was that even a language?  
"It is not chicken scratch. It is the language that I have grown up knowing, this is the language we write in. These are what our letters look like." Loki explained.  
Tony stared at it then shook his head. “That looks crazy.”  
“It is Old Norse Sir. It is actually quite interesting; Mr. Laufeyson has been teaching me.”  
“Don’t show off.”  
Loki smiled. "What he simply took the chance to learn something new."  
“Don’t let him think he’s cute Loki.” Tony sat on the bed. “So what’s your book about?”  
"Spells." Loki answered. "There is always something new to learn."  
Tony shook his head, but he supposed he could understand that. When he equated it to his love of sciences and machines, it made sense why Loki would turn to studies. Still, it was an odd choice after getting his freedom. Or part of it anyway.   
“We should go out somewhere.”  
"What do you have in mind?" Loki asked.  
Tony shrugged, thinking for a moment. “I was thinking sushi maybe. There’s a place in downtown that makes it authentic.”  
Loki nodded. "Okay." Loki laid is book down. "How many homes do you have?" Loki asked.  
“I really only have two; this one and the one in California but I have small places all over. I don’t really like hotels in other countries, so I’ll rent out a place there.” Tony stood and checked his phone for the address of the restaurant.  
"Mr. Stark has a property in France, Britain, japan, and India." Jarvis explained.   
"Thank you." Loki answered. He wondered if he would see any of those places with stark by his side.  
“I’ll take you there some day.” Tony gave Loki a playful smile then went to get his shoes on.   
Loki went to get himself dressed to go out for the night. "Are you sure I'm allowed that far?"  
Tony grinned at Loki smugly. “You’re not on probation anymore, which means I can take you anywhere. I still have to be with you, but you’re not tied down here anymore.”  
Loki smiled at him. "Good.” He said with a smile.  
Tony went to the car with Loki and he drove to the restaurant. He’d never been much for sushi until Pepper insisted he eat there. Suddenly it was one of his favorite places.   
They walked in and were seated at a bar with a conveyor belt. Plates with different kinds of sushi slid across slowly for anyone to pick.  
Loki smiled as they left. "Will you help me with the menu?" He asked.  
“Sure. These are all side dishes though; if you want sushi, you get it from here.” He nodded at the moving belt then looked through the menu with Loki. “Oh, this is good. They’re pan-fried dumplings with vegetables and meat inside. Really good.”  
"I'd like to try those." Loki replied to him. He was hungry and now that he was back with Stark he was little bit off from starving.   
Tony nodded and ordered them before getting some of the sushi off the belt. He plopped a piece into his mouth and hummed.   
“Really good. Try this one.”  
Loki opened his mouth for Tony to feed him the piece. He hummed at the taste. "That is good."  
Tony chuckled and took another piece. “It is, huh?” He glanced up as their dumplings were brought over. “You should try it with the sauce.”  
"We don't have things like this is Asgard. It's different. Thought you should try fresh cooked fish. It's really good when cooked over a fire made with maple tree wood."   
“I don’t think I’ve ever had it like that.” Tony swiped one of Loki’s dumplings then orders some rice for both of them.   
"I'm sure you haven't. I'm also sure that you have never tasted wild boar, quail, elk."


	101. Chapter 101

“I’ve had quail eggs. Not that bad really.” Tony thanked the waiter then ate some of his rice. “Did you ever cook back home?”  
"Only when I was out on hunting trips." He replied.  
“They’re missing out. You make good pancakes.” Tony chuckled.   
Loki rolled his eyes. "Everything I make is good to you."  
Tony grinned playfully and ate some more rice. “Oh, you need to try their wine. Excuse me?” He signaled to the waiter again and ordered some sake for both of them.   
Loki watched him. "One day I'll let you try my favorite wine." He grinned.  
“From Asgard? Is it any good?” Tony asked playfully and sipped his drink.   
"No, it’s absolutely terrible." He said.   
Tony rolled his eyes and ate another piece of sushi. “Thor brought some mead once. He wouldn’t let me drink any, but he said it was good.”  
Loki nodded. "It is." He replied. "The drinks are mixed and stored in barrels to age."  
“I’m guessing you guys age your stuff longer than we do here, huh?” Tony smiled a bit. He couldn’t even imagine how strong an Asgardian drink would be.  
Very long." Loki replied. "More is made every day."  
“Do you guys drink a lot?”  
"Me, personally no." Loki answered. "Thor however a great deal."   
“Yeah, he’s told me about it. He’s pretty proud of how much he can drink.” Tony shook his head.   
"Well he's been drinking so much he's practically immune to it."   
Tony chuckled. “If I didn’t have my reactor I’d be the same way.” Tony ordered a beer once he got tired of the taste of sake. “How about your mom? Is she a drinker?”  
"She only ever drinks wine and only at feast and never more than one glass."  
Tony smiled a bit. “That’s how my mom was. She couldn’t stand anything other than wine.”  
"The Allfather does not drink as much either."  
“Oh yeah? Is that a recent thing or has he always been like that?”  
"Not since he took the throne. Before then he was very much like Thor before his exile."  
Tony nodded and sipped his beer. “My dad liked to drink a lot. The only thing he didn’t like was Vodka.”  
Loki hummed and nodded as he reached for another piece of sushi.  
Tony ate one more piece of sushi before calling it good. He licked his lips then finished his beer.   
“Will you be having any dessert?” A waitress walked over to them and smiled.   
Loki finished soon enough. He felt like he was starving.  
Tony thought for a moment then looked at Loki. “You want some dessert?”  
"Yes please." Loki replied.  
Tony ordered some of the ice cream mocha for them both. “I think you’ll like this stuff.”  
Loki nodded. "Okay"  
The waitress brought over the mocha and set it in front of them.   
“It’s been a long time since I had this stuff but it’s pretty good.”  
Loki took a small bite of the ice cream and hummed. "Very good."  
“It is, huh?” He’d almost forgotten how good-though odd-the mocha was. He ate one piece but felt a bit hungry for more sushi. He reached for another piece off the conveyor belt.   
Loki watched this with a smile. "Ice cream and sushi?"  
Tony chuckled and shrugged. “I’m not that big into sweets. I can eat one or two bites of these but that’s it. Besides, you can eat as much sushi as you want.”  
Loki nodded and continued to eat his ice cream before finally reaching for Tony's as well.  
“Like it?” Tony smiled at Loki a bit.  
"Very much so." He smiled.  
“We can find out if there are any stores around that sell this stuff.” Tony paid for their food and grinned at the god.  
"I like it but I'll stick to my pudding." Loki said.  
Tony laughed a bit and nodded. “All right. You ready to head back?”  
"Yes." Loki replied. He was rather full and wanted to shower, and cuddle and sleep.  
Tony nodded and left a tip before they left. He got out to the car with Loki and got in. “That was good. Haven’t had Japanese in a while.”  
"I never had it until you gave it to me." Loki answered.  
Tony chuckled and started driving back towards the tower. “Did you like it?”  
"I did very much." Loki smiled at him.  
“We’ll have to have it again sometime then.” Tony smiled at Loki and pulled up to the tower.   
Loki got out with a stretch. Looking around he smiled at everything around him.  
Tony stretched a bit as he walked inside.   
“Welcome back Sirs.”  
“You behave while we were gone Jarvis?”  
“Of course Sir.”  
Loki rolled his eyes, as if Jarvis would do something bad. Loki headed off for a shower.  
Tony whistled at the god then chuckled and went to his room to change into something more comfortable.   
"Oh hush." Loki shook his head.  
Tony laughed to himself and pulled on a T-shirt and some sweat pants. He sat on his bed when his phone went off.   
“Yeah?”  
“Stark, you busy?”  
“Not really, why?”  
“We have a little bit of a situation.” Fury looked at the large screen in front of him. “We’ve got some movement in the middle east. We’re not sure what it is yet but it doesn’t look good.”  
“When did this come up?”  
"About an hour or so ago" Fury replied "It started out slow and then got bigger."  
“You don’t have anything on what they’re moving?”  
“This could be an evacuation or it could be weapons movements. I’ve got agents in there getting information. Just stay on alert until we know more.”  
“All right.”  
"Where's the green eyed boy toy of yours?” Fury asked.  
Tony tried not to smile but couldn’t help himself. “Shower.”  
“Make sure he’s ready to go if this turns out ugly.”  
“I will.”  
“Stark.”  
“Yeah?”  
“I mean it. Be careful.”  
Tony was quiet for a moment. “I’m always careful.”  
"Yeah you said that last time and ended up blown half way across the lab down here." Fury commented.  
Tony rolled his eyes. “Careful doesn’t mean I never get hurt.”  
“Yeah, that’s my point.”  
Tony simply scoffed. “Anything else?”  
"No." Fury cut the connection.  
"Everything all right, Sir?" Hill asked.  
"I swear being a second parent to Stark at this stage is like having the kid who wants to date the bad boy at school." Fury sighed. "If I had hair I'd go gray."  
Agent Hill chuckled and shook her head. “I guess it’s a good thing you don’t have hair then.” She smiled a bit. “He’s serious about this?”  
“Sadly, I’ve only seen him this serious when someone’s in trouble. He’s serious.” Fury shook his head.   
Tony set his phone down and flopped back on the bed, sighing.   
Loki came back out in pajama bottoms. "Aren't you going to get ready for bed?"  
Tony looked at Loki and gave a little smile. He pulled off his T-shirt and sweat pants, leaving only his boxers. “Looks like I’m ready.” He chuckled. “Fury called. We might have a situation but he’s not sure yet.”  
"Does this mean I'm on the team?" Loki asked.  
“Yep. Now Fury has more permission to scold you.” Tony smiled a bit. “We just have to be ready in case this gets worse.”  
Loki nodded. "Alright."   
Tony sat back against the pillows, messing with his phone before setting it aside. “Hopefully this blows over.”  
Loki moved closer to him. Loki settled against him. "Relax then, we'll need our rest."  
Tony nuzzled against Loki and sighed, relaxing into the bed. “You’re right.”  
Loki moved his hand to hold Tony's. "I love you."  
Tony felt his heart flutter a bit and he smiled slightly. “I love you too Reindeer Games.” He chuckled and the lights turned down, leaving only the glow of his reactor.  
Loki replied soon enough and fell into a decent rest.  
Tony fell asleep soon enough, having rather pleasant dreams as the night went on.   
Loki however woke up from a nightmare. He looked at Tony and saw him seeping peacefully. Sighing Loki curled in closer and placed his hand over the reactor.  
Tony huffed quietly and put an arm on Loki’s waist lazily, asleep still.  
The position was comfortable and put a warmth over Loki.  
He slept heavily for a few more hours until his phone began to go off. Tony frowned puzzled and reached for it.   
“Hello?”  
Loki started to wake up himself up when he heard the phone go off.   
"What's wrong?"  
“This isn’t blowing over.” Tony sighed heavily, looking at the message on his phone. The lights came on and he stood. “Better get ready.”  
Loki nodded and went to get his armor on.  
"Too bad I can’t see to it that you have a decent meal." He sighed.  
Tony looked at the god as his suit was assembled on him and grinned. “I’ll just eat you when we get back.” He winked and his visor snapped on.  
Loki shook his head fondly. He followed Tony out of the door to the car.  
“Jarvis will drive you down to SHIELD, I’ll be flying next to you.” Tony looked at Loki then moved the mask back for a moment and gave Loki a quick kiss.  
Loki didn’t want to end the kiss.  
Tony lingered for a moment with his lips pressed to Loki’s before pulling back.   
“Let’s go.” He smiled then took off into the sky.  
Loki tucked himself into the car. He needed to learn how to drive for himself.  
Jarvis drove Loki down to SHIELD and Tony flew up above them, talking to Loki every so often until they arrived.   
Both men headed inside and went to the debriefing room.  
“Where’s everybody else?”  
“This is still small, so I don’t need the whole crew. I do however need my weapon’s expert and his magical fingers boyfriend.”  
Tony rolled his eyes and looked at the screens.   
“What’s going on right now?”  
Loki arched a brow at being called magic fingers. He studied the screen as well. "What do you want us to do?"  
"We found out that they're holding of weapons Stark made years ago. Ones that Obadiah sold them. We need to destroy them." Fury said   
Tony clenched his jaw but didn’t say anything. “Then why do you need both of us? I can go in and blow everything up just fine.”  
“It’s a little more complicated than that, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you to bring Laufeyson.” Fury pulled up another screen and Tony’s heart sank.   
“Hostages.”  
“They look familiar at all?” Fury looked at Tony as he asked. The inventor looked down and nodded.   
“Yinsen told me they were dead.”  
“Not all of them. He didn’t know two of his kids survived.”  
“Anyone else?”


	102. Chapter 102

“Fifteen more hostages. This is why we can’t just drop a bomb on these guys and that’s why we need Laufeyson.” Fury looked at the god. “Stark handles the weapons, you get the hostages out safely.”  
Loki nodded. "Very well. Where am I taking them to?" Loki asked. "Surely you must have some where you wish me to bring them."  
"There will be a check point with SHIELD agents ready and waiting for them. Once they're out I want you to help Stark destroy everything and everyone that is an enemy."  
“You want any captures brought back here?”  
“If they make it out.”  
Tony nodded. “All right. You flying us in or do we have to get there on our own?”  
“This needs stealth.” Fury looked at Loki. “Can you transport yourself and Stark there?”  
"I can get anywhere." Loki smirked. He grabbed Tony and pulled him closer and quickly they were gone in a cloud of smoke.  
Tony blinked and looked around in shock. “That’s…efficient.” He scanned the area and saw the hold-out not far up the mountain. He felt an icy chill in the pit of his stomach; he knew this area too well. He kept calm however and looked at Loki.   
“I picked up a cluster of heat signatures. They’ve got the hostages in the center, weapons around them. You go in, get them and I’ll take care of the rest.”  
Loki nodded and used the cloaking device. It was funny the first time to see the reaction of the guards when one of the people went missing. Loki couldn't use his shadows to fend them off or he could very well scare the people he needed to save.  
The guards began to mutter and tried to grab the other hostages, but they kept vanishing out of their grasp. The hostages all looked around, completely shocked as they appeared outside the camp. Tony watched from a distance, making sure they were all right. Once they were all out, he looked back at the site. Almost time for the fireworks to start.   
Loki made sure all the hostages were out and safe he went back to see what guards and other people he could catch for Fury's benefit.  
Tony strolled over, getting closer to the camp. A few guards approached but, of course, the bullets did nothing. Hell they could have tossed a grenade at him and it would have only chipped the paint. He readied his shoulder missiles and fired them off.   
Loki watched from a distance. He watched as his lover attacked the enemy.  
Tony made sure to take out most of the guards, the rest of them running off in fear. They didn’t get far though; SHIELD was in position just outside of the site ready to capture anyone that tried to flee.   
The inventor blew up the weapons tents but stopped at one in particular. He recognized that missile, it was one of his favorites actually. He grinned to himself and flew back a ways before emitting a radio frequency that set off the bombs. In a flash, everything was destroyed.  
Loki smiled as he watched what happened. He preferred setting things on fire but blowing them up is even better.  
Tony scanned for Loki then went over and landed next to him. “Like the show?”  
"I prefer the satisfaction of watching everything burn. Job well done though."  
Tony popped up his visor and chuckled. “Explosions are my thing.” Tony looked back at the camp. “Did you get everybody out?”  
"I did. Everyone is safe and sound." he replied. "I even took a few guards for Fury to question if he felt so inclined.  
Tony nodded and sighed quietly. “And the…the ones from the picture. Are they okay?”   
"Safe and sound. I removed them first."   
Tony sighed relieved. “Thanks.” He smiled a bit at the god then opened up a call to Fury. “We get them.”  
"Looks like everything is covered. Get back over here and the agents will handle the rest." fury said.  
Tony nodded and looked at Loki. “We’re done here. Fury wants us back.”  
"Of course he does." He replied.  
Tony chuckled a bit and looked towards the SHIELD site. He wanted to go over, wanted to meet the family Yinsen had left behind. At the same time however, he didn’t think it was appropriate. Those were the children that had missed him, that had spent weeks, months, years now, waiting for their father to return.   
"Some things are better left unsaid. While others, no matter the pain or tears, must have closure."  
Tony looked at Loki almost surprised. He gave a little chuckle though, trying to brush away the guilt he felt. “What?”  
"Tell them what happened to their father so they can stop having false hopes that he is still alive."  
Tony’s smile faded as he looked at Loki. He looked back at the SHIELD site, feeling a knot in his throat. He pursed his lips then started walking over.   
"I'll be right here." he replied.  
Tony glanced back at Loki then walked into the one of the tents. The hostages were all there, being checked by medics. He looked around and walked over to the two at the end.   
“Hi. Umm, you don’t know me but…”  
“Iron Man.” One of the boys said quietly, but excited. “You Iron Man.”  
Tony looked at him and nodded. “Yeah. My real name is Tony Stark. Do you speak English?”  
“Little.”  
Loki stayed well hidden. He knew that even in this part of the world people had heard of him.  
Tony nodded and looked down. “Look I umm…I have something important to tell you both.” He looked at the boys and sat on the cot across from them. He tried to talk but the words were stuck in his throat.   
“You okay?” The younger looked at Tony curiously.   
“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” He cleared his throat. “I…I knew your father. I knew Yinsen.”  
"Where is he? Do you know where he is? Is he alive?" the older of the two asked.  
Tony looked at them then down. “He and I were being held by the same man. We were ordered to build missiles for this guy. He saved my life, your dad did. So I tried to get him out when I escaped but…” The words caught in Tony’s throat again. He swallowed thickly. “He was a great man. Your father didn’t think he had family anymore. He thought you were all dead.”  
The boys did nothing to hide their tears. "Thank you." they said.   
Tony looked at them and nodded. “I’m so sorry. We were trying to get out and they…they shot him before I could find him.”   
The oldest boy nodded, keeping a straight face despite the tears. He looked at Tony. “He say anything?”  
Tony smiled and nodded. “Just that he loved his family and he wanted to be with you again.”   
He nodded. For years they held onto hope, hope that he would come home.  
“I’m sorry.”  
The youngest boy cried hard into his brother’s shoulder. The older boy looked at Tony and nodded   
“Not you fault. Not you fault.”  
Tony looked at them and nodded a bit. “I don’t know if it means much to you, but I’ll do everything I can to take care of you two.”  
"We'll bring them over with us, Mr. Stark." One of the agents said.  
Tony looked at the agent and nodded. “Keep me updated on them, all right? I have to go back with Loki.” He looked at the boys. “I promise, I’ll take care of you two.”  
The boys nodded, still weeping.  
Loki waited. When Tony came over to him he wrapped his arms around him. "Are you alright?"  
Tony hugged the god back, resting his head on Loki’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine.” He couldn’t help but think of Yinsen. The way he could talk for hours about his family, his sons, his wife. Talk about how proud he was of them and how much he missed them. If he’d known…  
"What will you do now?"  
Tony pulled back slightly and sighed, trying to steady his heart. “Take care of them. Have them brought into the US, green card, everything I just…” Tony looked out into the night then at Loki. “I promised Yinsen he’d see his family again. I promised I’d get him out of there and I failed. This is the least I can do.”  
Loki kissed his forehead. "You're doing the right thing." he said. "It'll be alright." he smiled.  
Tony nodded. “I just hope it’s enough.” He looked back up at Loki and gave a little smile. “We should go back to SHIELD.”  
"Alright." Loki nodded. "Ready?" he asked, before making them disappear.   
Tony was still taken aback by the sudden disappearing, reappearing act but had to admit that it was impressive. He looked around then at Fury.   
“That was quick.”  
“I work like that.” Tony shrugged.  
"Everything is taken care of. Your men will be bringing back guards to question. Do with them as you see fit." Loki informed.  
Fury nodded. “You two did good. Very quick and clean. Might get you back home faster Laufeyson.” Fury looked at the god as he spoke.   
“Hey Fury, about those two boys. I want you to keep me updated on them.”  
Fury looked at Tony and nodded. “Thought you might say that. I take it they’ll be under your financial care?”  
Tony nodded. Anything he could do, he would do it.  
"You got it stark" Fury nodded.  
Tony nodded then headed back to the car with Loki. He sighed and his suit began to come off of him. He set it in the trunk and ran his fingers through his hair.   
Loki nodded to Fury and went to get in the car with Tony. "I'm proud of you."  
Tony looked at the god and smiled a bit. “For what?”  
"Having the courage to go and talk to those boys."  
Tony gave a half-hearted smile and got into the car. “If he had known that they were alive, do you think Yinsen would have tried harder to get out alive?” He looked at the god, as if this answer would somehow soothe the ache he felt.   
"Maybe. I thought my children dead until I saw my eldest and then suddenly, I wanted to live again."  
Tony looked at Loki then away, nodding slowly. “I wish he’d known.” He spoke quietly then drove back to the tower with Loki.  
"Well now he has a man that will see his children will have every opportunity."  
Tony nodded a bit, pulling up into the garage. “You said you thought your kids were dead.” He looked at Loki curiously. “Did you think your dad had killed them?”  
"He would not be that cruel, but I did believe he left them to the elements." he explained.  
“At least you still have your kids then.” Tony got out of the car and stretched. He popped open the trunk and his suit flew back into its case.  
Loki watched in amazement as it did so.  
Tony rubbed his neck then put his hand on his reactor. It was thanks to Yinsen he’d survived in the first place. He pursed his lips a bit.   
“Jarvis, set up an account for those boys, would you?”  
“Of course Sir. I have also ensured they be well taken care of with a foster family.”  
Loki headed up stairs to let Tony do what he felt he needed to do.  
Tony stayed downstairs for a moment, unable to get this mission out of his head. He wouldn’t be able to sleep that night, not without getting drunk. He went upstairs, his legs heavy.   
Loki had started to make them something to eat so they could go to bed.  
Tony went to the bar and poured himself a drink, downing it quickly.   
“Everything has been set up Sir.”  
“Thanks Jarv.”  
"You're welcome. Also Loki has made dinner for you."  
Tony perked up slightly and glanced towards the kitchen. He grabbed a beer and walked over.   
“You really like cooking, huh?”  
"That I do. It's relaxing for me." he said.  
Tony chuckled and shook his head then sat down, watching the god. “Like me with machines.” He sipped his beer.   
"Exactly. Besides it means that you get a home cooked meal. Something you don't eat unless someone forces it down your throat."


	103. Chapter 103

Tony rolled his eyes. “You sound like Pepper.” He took another swig of his beer.  
"That is the only one you're having tonight right?"  
“Only if I don’t want to sleep.” Tony looked at the god. “I can’t stop thinking about Yinsen and his kids. I’m going to have nightmares and I’d rather not go there.”  
"You'll have me there to keep them at bay." Loki said.  
Tony looked at Loki for a moment then finished his beer but didn’t get another. “You better.”  
"I certainly plan on it."  
Tony smiled a bit and nodded then sighed. “So, what are you making?”  
"Pasta tonight." he answered.  
“What kind?” Tony looked at him then glanced into the kitchen.  
"Alfredo mixed with spinach and Asiago cheese and shrimp." he explained.  
“That actually sounds really good.” Tony suddenly felt quite hungry. He walked into the kitchen with Loki.  
Loki smiled. "I'm working on the sauce now. Go sit down."  
Tony pouted a bit but went back to the table and sat down.  
When it was ready Loki dished it up and set it out for them.  
Tony hummed as he looked at it. “Looks good.”  
"Try it." he replied.  
Tony took a bite and licked his lips. “This is really good. How the hell are you learning all this?”  
"Food network." Loki smiled. "And Jarvis."  
Tony chuckled and shook his head. “You’re weird but this is amazing.” He ate more of the pasta.   
"I don't see how that is being weird." Loki replied.  
“It’s just funny. You’re a god and here you are watching the cooking channel.” Tony chuckled.   
"Well I don’t have anything else to fill my time."   
“I guess you’re right.” Tony shrugged and ate. He was pretty sure there restaurants that didn’t cook this well.  
Loki finished his plate and got more.  
Tony licked his lips and stood, getting a second serving for himself as well.  
"Least I know my cooking is good."  
“Really good.” Tony smiled and sat back down to eat again. “Better than Thor. He has trouble with the toaster.”  
"He would." Loki replied. "I do not see how he has trouble with such a simple device."  
“He gets mad it for not toasting his Poptart right.” Tony chuckled and shook his head.  
Loki chuckled. "That certainly sounds like Thor."  
“Yeah, he’s pretty thick. No offense.” Tony finished his second helping and wiped his lips. He sighed quietly, tapping at the table.   
"I'm not related to him so I don't care." Loki replied. "I think he's dense."  
“How has he survived this long?” Tony was still puzzled but he supposed being immortal had something to do with it.   
"By having things done for him." Loki replied.  
“I guess that can ruin a person pretty quick.” Tony looked at the god. “Good thing you’re not like that.”  
"We were raised on it. We were trained to fight not cook. We don't have ovens and stoves like you do."  
“Kind of hard to imagine that, you know?” Tony smiled a bit.  
"That’s because you haven’t seen it."  
“Would be cool though. I talked to Thor’s girlfriend, Jane Foster. She said when she went to Asgard, it was amazing.”  
Loki nodded. "He's taken her to Asgard?"  
Tony nodded. “Yeah, though I think it was only one trip. He told me she was really curious about Asgard so he took her to see it. It sounded amazing from what she told me.”  
Loki grumbled. "One day I'll take you."  
Tony couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you jealous that Thor got to take Jane before you took me there?”  
"No." Loki replied.  
Tony chuckled at the god’s response. “All right, if you say so.”  
“I do say so." he said firmly.  
“Hey, I’m not arguing.” Tony chided playfully and grinned at the god.  
Loki leaned over to steal a quick kiss from him. "I would win anyway."  
Tony smiled a bit and shook his head. “Kissing me doesn’t mean you win automatically.”  
Loki kissed him again. "Sure it doesn't?"  
Tony hummed in his throat and thought for a second. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” He smiled at the god, giving him an almost daring look, tempting him to go further.   
Loki locked their lips together, holding it for a few moments before pulling away.  
Tony’s eyes were closed this time. He sat there in a slight daze before slowly opening his eyes. “Still don’t win.” He smirked triumphantly. “But that was a good kiss.”  
Loki threw his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. He finished his plate and washed it quickly before heading for the room to seep if Stark would follow.  
Tony pouted and stood, going after Loki. “Hey, don’t give up now!” He walked into the god’s room.   
Loki sat on the bed. "I'm not, just getting comfortable."  
Tony watched him skeptically for a moment then went and sat on the bed. “Are we moving our competition into your room then?”  
"Yes." Loki replied.  
Tony grinned and leaned close, kissing Loki on the lips.  
Loki wrapped his arms around Tony's neck, fingers lacing his crown.  
Tony closed his eyes and reached his hand up, cupping the god’s cheek. He could stay like this all day.  
Leaning back Loki took Tony with him.  
Tony let himself be pulled back and he leaned over Loki. He laced his fingers in the god’s hair, deepening the kiss.   
Loki started to push his hands up Tony's shirt.  
Tony arched into Loki’s hands, enjoying how cold they felt on his skin. He kissed down to the god’s neck, hands on his hips.  
Loki arched into his touch.  
Tony slipped his hands down to the god’s thighs, caressing them through the fabric. He moved his hands back up and started lifting Loki’s shirt.   
Loki allowed him to do so.  
Tony pulled off the god’s shirt and peppered kisses from one shoulder to the other.   
Loki moaned softly. He pulled Tony's shirt the rest of the way up.  
Tony moved a bit and let Loki remove his shirt. His reactor shone brightly, casting a blue glow to Loki’s skin. Tony kissed his neck then moved slowly down to his chest.  
Loki teasingly ran a finger nail down Tony's spine.  
Tony moaned low in his throat and arched into the touch. He flicked his tongue at the god’s nipple, teasing until it got hard.  
Loki shivered under him. "Anthony."  
Tony felt a chill when Loki said his name. It was just about the sexiest thing he’d ever heard. He moved to the other nipples, licking and sucking before moving down to Loki’s abdomen. He undid the god’s pants, tugging them down just slightly.   
Loki lifted his hips letting Anthony have his jeans. "I love you."  
Tony paused a moment and looked up at the god. He kissed Loki’s sharp hips, pulling his pants off completely.   
“I love you too.” He ran his hands along the god’s thighs slowly, relishing how soft his skin was.   
Loki stopped him and moved so he had Tony on his back. He started to remove the man's pants.  
Tony tilted his hips up, letting Loki remove his pants. He leaned up and kissed the god, running his hands along Loki’s body.   
Loki stopped at the reactor and traced it. He teased the skin around it.  
Tony gasped quietly and shuddered under Loki’s touch. He’d never realized just how sensitive the scarred skin around his reactor was. And he’d certainly never thought it was feel good when someone caressed it that way. He kissed Loki’s neck hungrily, pressing their bodies close.   
Loki pulled back to kiss and touch the skin further seeing how much pleasure it gave him.  
Tony pushed his tongue into Loki’s mouth, moaning again as he felt the god teasing the skin around his reactor. Who would have ever guessed it could feel so good? He ran his hands up Loki’s sides to his chest and played with the god’s nipples again.   
Loki faltered in his movements a bit as Tony did this. He lightly nipped at Tony's lower lip, giving it a light tug.  
Tony teased the god more, panting lightly. Loki felt so cold against his skin but the chill was incredible. He nudged the god’s legs apart and nestled between them.  
Loki hooked his legs around Tony's hips a bit, framing his form.  
Tony brushed his lips along Loki’s neck, biting at his skin. He pressed against the god more, rolling his hips slightly.   
Loki moaned as he felt Tony press into his hardening manhood. He pulled the man even closer when he realized how hard the other was as well.  
Tony panted against the god’s skin, running his hands down to his thighs. He caressed along the god’s inner thigh, rutting against him slightly.   
Loki rolled up to meet him, biting his lip to keep himself from making much noise.  
Tony chuckled low in his throat. He kissed Loki hard, nipping at his lips.   
“Why so quiet?” He pressed against the god a bit harder.  
Loki moaned out loud this time. "Anthony."  
Tony moaned as well and kissed Loki again. He placed his hands on Loki’s hips, rubbing at them with his thumbs.   
Loki pushed his hands under the cloth of Tony's underwear.  
Tony copied Loki’s gesture, squeezing the god’s ass. He kissed at Loki’s shoulders, leaving marks on his collar bone.  
Loki moaned into the kiss. He dug his nails in a bit.  
Tony groaned in his throat, grinding against the god harder. He squeezed and pressed Loki’s ass before moving his hands to the god’s thighs, pulling at his underwear.   
The green eyed god lifted his hips again for the man to take his underwear.  
He pulled Loki’s underwear away then removed his own. He pressed their hardened cocks together, rubbing them again. Tony moaned against Loki’s neck, tangling his fingers in the god’s ink black hair.   
Loki tried to coax Tony into moving again. "Please." he said. "Move."  
Tony shifted himself slightly, leaning over Loki as he began rolling his hips again. He picked up a steady rhythm, moaning the god’s name quietly.   
Loki let go of moans of his own. "Yes, yes." Loki cried out.  
“Oh fuck, Loki.” Tony whispered the god’s name under his breath, pressing harder and rolling his hips faster. He put his hands all over Loki’s body, squeezing and caressing every inch of skin he could reach.  
Loki's hand squeezed Tony's ass as he started to tremble. His back arched slowing before his orgasm came running over him.   
Oh God that face. Tony moaned then gasped as he came. His body shuddered and tensed as peaked and everything went white for a moment.   
Loki pulled Tony down on top of him to bask in the afterglow of it.  
Tony kissed Loki smoothly, gently this time and relaxed on top of him. He brushed his fingers through Loki’s hair, scratching lightly at his scalp.   
Loki's head lulled back against the bed, a soft smile on his face.  
Tony steadied his breathing then leaned up and looked at Loki. He smiled and kissed him again.   
“Did that please you?” He asked in a teasing tone.  
Loki flipped them over to straddle his waist. Collapsing next to him Loki tucked himself into Tony's side.  
Tony chuckled. He would take that as a compliment. He put his arm around Loki and held him close, sighing content.   
Loki gave him a few soft kisses.  
Tony smiled and rested his chin on the top of Loki’s head.   
Loki held his hand settled on Tony's stomach as they settled in.


	104. Chapter 104

Tony rested against the pillows with Loki, running his fingers and up and down along Loki’s back slowly.  
Loki hummed softly. He slowly started to drift off to sleep.  
Tony closed his eyes and yawned, feeling sleep claw at him too.   
Christmas was soon upon them and Loki was enjoying all the bright and cherry songs they played.  
Tony was going to have fun this Christmas. Well, he had fun every Christmas but this one wouldn’t be an exception. He had lights and decorations set up. He normally wasn’t one for holidays but on this day, he liked to splurge.   
“Light it up Jarvis.” Tony smiled as the lights on the outside of the tower began to flash red and green.  
From his Apartment Steve shook his head.   
"You have got to be kidding me." He said, shaking his head.  
Tony grinned smugly then went to get some egg nog.   
“This year’s going to be great.”  
“Shall I start making up the usual guest list Sir?”  
“Yep, get everybody on there.”  
“Very well Sir.”  
Tony went to check on his drink, making sure it was setting the way it was supposed to. He looked over at Loki and smiled.   
“Like it?”  
"This is stupid." Loki stated. "What in the nine is all of this?" he asked.  
Tony rolled his eyes. “It’s Christmas. People celebrate, get drunk and enjoy themselves. You get with friends and family and have fun.” Tony smiled. “Enjoy yourself.” He pulled up a Santa hat and put it on Loki. “Here, it’s customary to wear this when you’re in a guest’s home.”  
"I'm not a guest, I live here. I share a bed with you if you remember that or not."  
“You still have to wear the hat. It’s a custom. I’m one wearing one too.” Tony handed Loki the hat, giving him a deadpan stare.   
Loki rolled his eyes and put it on for Anthony.  
Tony grinned wide, unable to believe Loki had really put it on. He kissed the god’s cheek then went to check on the egg nog.   
"What is that you're making?" Loki asked following him.

“Egg nog. Trust me, you’ll love this stuff, especially the way I’m making it.” Tony grinned and finished making the drink. “Gotta let it sit for a bit, but it’s worth it.”  
Loki winkled his nose. "What is eggnog?"  
“It’s a festive drink. You only see it being sold during Christmas. You take milk, add a little cream and whipped eggs then put some liquor in for flavor.” Tony smiled. “You can add cinnamon and nutmeg too.”  
Loki frowned. "Eggs are not meant for drinking." he said.   
“They are you do it right.” Tony fixed a cup for himself and Loki then handed it to the god. “Try it.”  
Loki sniffed at it a bit and then took a sip. "I still say your Midgardian alcohol is weak."  
“Yeah well humor me and drink it.” Tony sipped his drink then smiled. “I think it tastes good.”  
“Sir, I have received replies to your invitation.”  
“Who’s coming?”  
“Ms. Potts is busy and Dr. Banner is out of the country. Everyone else has said no.”  
Tony’s smile fell and he frowned. “Fine, no gifts for them then.”  
Loki rubbed his back. "I'm sorry Anthony." Loki said.  
"Also Agent Romanoff has sent a gift for Mr. Laufeyson."  
Tony tensed slightly. “Jarvis can you scan that for me.”   
“Of course Sir.”  
Tony didn’t exactly trust any gifts coming in for Loki, especially not when they came from Natasha. Hell, she’d sent him a small explosive once after he’d stupidly grabbed her ass. Thinking back on it, he probably deserved that.   
"It is a book, Sir." Jarvis replied.   
Tony frowned suspiciously then handed the box to Loki. “Well merry Christmas.” He smiled then frowned again. “Wait, did I get anything?”  
“Only from Ms. Potts Sir.”  
Tony scoffed then went over to the tree and pulled out another gift. “Here, this one’s for you too.” He handed it to Loki. “Jarvis, Merry Christmas.”  
“Thank you for the system upgrade Sir.”  
Loki smiled at him. "Thank you Anthony."   
Tony smiled and shrugged. “I’m a nice guy like that.” He finished his first cup of egg nog then went into the kitchen for more.   
Loki opened his gift from Natasha first to see what it was. It was a book of swears, phrases and profanity.  
Tony added a bit more of the Asgardian mead that Thor had brought to Loki’s cup. He’d never tried it himself, but he wanted to add a bit more of a kick for the god to enjoy. He walked back over and smiled when he saw Loki reading.   
“Is it a good book?” Tony asked then sipped his egg nog.   
"Cunt." Loki said looking at him. "Did I say it wrong?"  
Tony nearly chocked on his egg nog. He stared at the god wide eyed for a moment before his mouth started working again. “What did you say?”  
Loki showed him the page he was on. "Cunt." he said again.  
Tony took the book and scoffed when he saw the title. “She would. She would do this.” He sighed heavily. “All right look, you pronounced it right, if that’s what you’re worried about but what you said isn’t exactly…polite.”  
Loki nodded. "I know.” He said showing him the cover.  
Tony looked at Loki and frowned. “So you knew you were calling me a cunt? You know what, I think I want to take my present back.”  
"I wasn't calling you a cunt, I was saying it and you happened to walk back in and I looked at you when I said it." he explained.  
Tony frowned at Loki skeptically and sipped his egg nog. “Yeah, right. You just don’t want me to take the gift back.” He sat on the couch. “Go ahead, open it.”  
"He's not lying Sir. While you were away he said a number of curses."  
Tony rolled his eyes but took Jarvis’s word for it. He just hope Loki would like the present. It wasn’t exactly anything fancy but he’d gone through a lot of trouble to get it.   
Opening the gift Loki looked at Stark. "I'm not going to want to kill you for this am I?"  
Tony grinned mischievously and shrugged. “I hope not.” He finished his eggnog then stood and walked over to Loki. He watched as Loki pulled out the gift, hoping he would like it.   
Loki smiled at him. Leaning over he kissed his cheek. "Thank you." he smiled.  
Tony smiled and shrugged. “I thought you’d like it. Be careful though; that book has the original manuscript and leaf notes in it.” It had been more than difficult to get ahold of, but Tony found a copy of one of Shakespeare’s unpublished works.   
Loki was careful as he looked at it. "Wonderful."  
“There are only five copies in the world, so don’t lose it.” Tony kissed the god’s cheek. “Merry Christmas.” He smiled then opened the gift Pepper had sent him.   
Pepper sent him a pocket watch with his name engraved on the inside. She remembered how he said he always wanted one.  
Tony paused and smiled slowly when he saw the pocket watch. He pulled it out of the velvet line box and looked at the engraving.   
“She spoils me sometimes.”  
“She certainly does Sir. Ms. Potts has also sent a gift for Mr. Laufeyson.”  
She didn’t know Loki too well yet, but she knew he liked reading. And with some help from Tony, she’d found another series of books she thought he might enjoy.   
Loki smiled at the books and decided to get started on them.  
Tony set his pocket watch back in the box then looked over at Loki. “Hey, hold on. Before you run off, there’s one more thing we need to do.” Tony smiled then pointed up to the mistletoe.  
"What does that do?" Loki asked.  
“When two people are under it, they have to kiss. It’s another tradition.” Tony smiled.   
"But why do we need an herb to kiss?" Loki asked.  
“It’s a tradition we have, now kiss me.” Tony rolled his eyes as he looked at the god.   
Loki leaned in to have a kiss from him.  
Tony leaned in for the kiss as well, savoring that little moment. Loki in a green Santa hat, giving him kisses under the mistletoe.   
Loki smiled into the kiss. "Why don't you come with me and I'll read these books to you."  
Tony smiled. “Sounds good to me. Let me get more eggnog.” Tony went and refreshed his cup then followed Loki.   
Loki went to go get in bed and get comfortable.  
Tony snuggled close to Loki on the bed and sipped his drink. “So, what are you reading tonight?”  
"Interview with the Vampire." Loki replied. He hadn't read the stories by Anne Rice yet.  
Tony honestly didn’t care what Loki read. The god’s voice was so soothing, he’d listen to him if it was a children’s book. He nodded and leaned close when Loki began to read.   
Loki would get up from time to time to refill their drinks, or get them something to eat.  
Tony was enjoying their moment. The little snacks and the reading, not to mention the eggnog was giving him a pleasant buzz.   
When Loki started yawning to much it was time to call it a night.  
Tony took off his hat and gave a loud yawn before lying back on the pillows.  
“That was a nice story.” He gave a lazy smile.   
"We'll finish it in the morning and move onto the next one if you'd like."  
Tony smiled and gave Loki a thumb’s up. “Sounds good to me.” He yawned again and pulled off his pants.  
Loki nodded and started to get himself settled.  
Tony unbuttoned his shirt but was too lazy to remove it. He curled close to Loki and sighed.  
"Lazy." Loki chuckled as he got comfortable and wrapped an arm around Tony.  
Tony smiled and leaned close, putting his arm on Loki’s waist.   
“Night.”  
Loki nuzzled him a bit before letting sleep carry him off.  
Tony fell asleep not long after Loki and stayed pressed close to the god through the night.   
Loki shifted and turned this way and that.  
Tony slept like a rock, not really moving throughout the night. Alcohol had that effect on the man.  
Loki woke up first that morning and was having a hard time staying awake for more than five minutes or so.  
"Mr. Laufeyson might I suggest you stop fighting it and let sleep take over?"  
Loki did as Jarvis said and was fast asleep in seconds.  
Tony’s mouth hung open as he slept. He was teetering on the edge of the bed, his hat crooked on his head.  
Frowning Loki pulled him away from the edge and into his arms.  
Tony snorted as he was moved and tangled his body with Loki’s.   
Loki grunted as Tony moved.   
Pepper let herself into the tower. She wanted to see Tony and Loki that day and spend a few hours with them.  
Tony had his face pressed to Loki’s chest, their legs tangled and his arms loose around the god’s waist.   
Jarvis told Pepper both Tony and Loki were still asleep. She wandered over to Loki’s room and peeked in, smiling a bit when she saw the two.  
"I'll get breakfast going for us." she chuckled at him.  
Tony shifted slightly as he slept on but started to feel himself waking up. He didn’t want to wake up yet though, he was so comfortable.  
Jarvis noticed this and started talking. "Ms. Potts is here, Sir, she is making breakfast."  
Tony huffed, knowing this was Jarvis’s way of telling him to get up already. He frowned up at the ceiling.


	105. Chapter 105

“Pep’s here?”  
"Yes, Sir." he replied.  
Loki groaned; he didn't want to get up. "Sleep."  
Tony yawned and stretched, sitting up. “Yeah, you sleep.” Tony kissed the god’s cheek then stood and walked out of the room.  
"Good morning," Pepper greeted when she saw Tony. "Bacon and eggs?"  
“Sounds good.” Tony gave a little smile. “Have a nice Christmas?”  
"Very nice." She smiled.  
“Good, that’s good.”  
“Did you have a big party?”  
“I was going to but no one showed up.” Tony shrugged.  
"I'm sorry." she said.  
Loki started to get p and come around when he smelled food from the kitchen. Dragging himself up, he headed into the kitchen.  
Tony shook his head. “No big deal. Bruce is out of the country and I know you wanted to see your family.”  
“What about everyone else?”  
“Well Rogers hates me so that made sense and Barton and Natasha are still mad at me.”  
She sighed. "I thought you and Steve were seeing a bit more eye to eye since this whole Loki thing got revealed?"   
Tony looked at Pepper and grinned, shaking his head. “No, he hates me. I’m, what did he say last time, an egotistical, uncaring and selfish prick.” Tony smiled and started making coffee.  
"What did you do to make him mad?" she asked.   
Loki walked out of the room and into the kitchen. "Good morning Ms. Potts."  
Tony shrugged. “I was myself. I guess he doesn’t like it when people try to save other people and survive.”  
Pepper shook her head and finished making the omelets. She looked over at Loki and smiled.   
“Good morning. Did you enjoy your first Christmas?”  
He nodded. "Thank you for the books." he said.  
“I’m glad you liked them. Did Tony make you try his eggnog?”  
“Oh, I still have some if you want any.”  
"He did make me try it. I do not like the taste at all." He said.  
"No, thanks Tony." Pepper replied. "It's not for everyone."  
Tony looked at Loki shocked. “What? You had five cups of it!”  
Pepper smiled and shook her head. “Breakfast is ready.”  
"No, you had five cups of it and I sipped off of each one." Loki replied.  
Tony rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee. “Fine, I’ll drink the rest of it myself.”  
Pepper giggled and sat down to eat.   
"Thank you for breakfast Ms. Potts." he said.  
“No problem.”  
“So, no work today?”  
“No work this week, actually. Well, no meetings so I can do everything from home.” Pepper smiled. “Clay’s taking me out tonight.”  
“What’s going on tonight?”  
“Late Christmas dinner. Everything was booked before we could get reservations and he felt bad.”  
"Who is Clay?" Loki asked him.  
“Her current boyfriend.”  
Pepper smiled a bit. “We’ve been together almost three months now.”  
Loki nodded. "He treats you well?" Loki asked.  
"He does." Pepper smiled.  
“He’d better.” Tony threatened and the redhead rolled her eyes.   
“He does Tony. He’s really great.”  
“I’m just looking out for you Pep.”  
She rolled her eyes. "I know that."  
“Good.” Tony sat tall and finished his coffee.   
Pepper sighed quietly but didn’t say anymore on the subject.   
“Sir, you are getting a call from Director Fury.”  
Tony groaned and pulled out his phone, walking into the hall. “Yeah?”  
Pepper smiled a bit then looked back at Loki. “What did Tony give you?”  
"One of Shakespeare's original works."  
Pepper’s brows raised slightly in surprise. “Wow, that’s quite a gift. Do you like it?”  
“We have a situation.”  
“Is there ever any other reason you call?”  
“Cut the sass Stark, this is serious.”  
“What is it?”  
"I do thought it is encased to keep it from being destroyed by accident." he said.  
“So you can’t read it, huh?”   
“Barton found an active Hydra base on his last mission. Normally this isn’t a big deal, but this place is moving a lot of heavy artillery.”  
“You getting everybody together on this one?”  
“It’s a big base Stark. It’s going to take all the man-power we have.”  
"I need you and Loki down here as well. I need to make sure things get destroyed." Fury said.  
Tony nodded slowly. “Now?”  
“Now.”  
The inventor sighed and hung up then walked over to Loki and Pepper. “We need to go.”  
“What’s wrong?” Pepper looked at Tony worried.   
Loki sighed as he watched Tony. He went about finishing his breakfast. "Fury can wait until we are done eating our breakfast."  
Tony stopped a moment and looked at Loki with a little grin. “You’re funny. We need to get going.”  
“I don’t think he’s kidding around Tony.” Pepper smiled.  
"I'm not." Loki replied and he continued to eat his omelet.  
Tony stood there surprised but shrugged. “Then I guess we’re waiting.” He served himself more coffee.   
Loki was finished eating ten minutes later and used his magic to get them dressed. "All set?"  
Tony nodded, a little smile on his face. “Yeah.” Jarvis finished putting the last pieces of his suit into place. “Pep, get somewhere safe.”  
“You two have fun.”  
Loki let Tony carry him over to SHIELD. You'd think his father would give him back his powers and let him have his flying back.  
Tony and Loki were escorted to the debriefing room where a not-so-happy Fury waited.   
“Nice of you to join us. Did I forget to mention that this is high priority?”  
“Loki wanted to finish his breakfast first.”  
"You never know when your last meal will be, make the best of the one you're currently eating." he said.  
Fury shook his head then pulled up the information for everyone to see.   
“Agent Barton spotted a live Hydra base not far from here. We’ve been surveying since we got this information, and it looks like they’re getting ready for a strike.”  
“Any idea on targets?”  
“Not yet, but it doesn’t look like we have enough time to go information gathering.”  
"So you want us to collect their weapons or destroy them?" he asked.  
“Destroy. Whatever they have in there doesn’t need to fall into other hands. I want everyone there captured and brought in for questioning.”  
Everyone nodded and headed out, but not without giving Loki and Tony a few dirty looks.   
“You didn’t want to bring some breakfast for the rest of us Stark?” Steve looked at the inventor upset and Tony rolled his eyes.   
“You want to fight Rogers? Because I’m ready when you are.”  
"You can kick each other’s asses later." Fury told him.   
"Come on Anthony." Loki said, pulling him along.  
Tony went with Loki, lips pursed.   
The jets were ready to take them to the location. Everyone had protective gear and new weapons ready; a little gift from Stark industries. They wouldn’t kill, but they could stun an elephant.   
Loki sat on the side watching them all. Loki walked this way and that staying out of everyone's way using the cloaking device to his advantage.  
They landed some distance from the base and thanks to Tony’s technology, didn’t make much noise. Everyone got out of the jet and waited for the plan.  
“There are four entrances but only three are guarded. We take out the guards and move in. There are no hostages but keep on your toes.” Steve looked at Tony. “On my signal, you start getting rid of the weapon’s dump.”  
"If you can cover me I can take out most of them before we step in." Loki replied.  
"How?" Steve asked.  
"My shadows."  
Steve shuddered slightly, still remembering Loki’s shadows from before but he nodded.   
“We’ll get their fire on us. You take out the guards. Stark, get the weapons.”  
“Got it.”  
"We need to get closer." Loki said, "Or I can’t control them."  
“Nat, cover Loki.”  
Natasha looked at Steve and nodded. She still hated the god’s guts, but this was a mission. They needed to be objective. She looked at the god then up ahead at the guards.   
“I can take them. You get in and I’ll be behind you.” She moved out then came out of hiding and took out the guards.  
“Stark, you’re with me.” Steve and Tony headed the other way.  
Loki nodded as they took off.   
"Guess you're with me Bruce." The archer said.   
Bruce nodded and let the Hulk take over. He picked up the smaller man and put him on his shoulders before taking off towards the compound.  
Clint easily took out guards as they approached, feeling a bit cocky where he was. For some reason, the Hulk only ever did this with Clint, no matter how much Tony protested. The archer was living Tony’s dream.   
Tony shot a few more guards then flew inside. “I’m headed to the weapon’s room.”  
“Take everything out, got it?” Steve answered then took out another guard.   
The screams could be heard and Loki's shadows did the job of taking out as many guards as they could.  
Tony flew to the area with the weapons and looked around. It was pretty heavy artillery and the bombs didn’t help.   
“I found the weapons but I can’t destroy anything with people here. There’s enough stuff to send us all to the moon.”  
“All right, stay put. Clean it after the building has been evacuated.” Steve answered then took out another guard.   
A shadow appeared next to him and took out the next guard and went on ahead of it.  
"They’re Loki's shadows. Fury says to grab a few guards and bring them in for questioning. Any that die can get destroyed when Loki burns the place." Natasha said.  
“Everybody get clear of the area. There’s mostly explosives in this place.”  
Everyone quickly began clearing the building, making sure all captives were secure.   
Tony flew out along with the others and readied a missile.   
“Tell me when the coast is clear and the whole place goes up.”  
When everyone was far enough for Steve's liking he called back to Stark. "Alright Tony let her go." He said.  
Tony nodded and fired off two missiles. He didn’t need much fire power; one wrong hit to the explosives inside and they would do the rest of the work.   
Just as he’d thought, the entire building blew up almost a mile into the sky.   
Loki watched from his own safe distance. He smiled at the sight of the smoke and flames.  
Tony landed back on the ground and looked at his hand work.   
“That it?”


	106. Chapter 106

“Should be. We have prisoners on their way to SHIELD now for questioning and more agents to come and clean up the mess.”  
"Alright team, everything is settled there now get back to base for a debriefing. Stark, Laufeyson that includes you too."  
“Got it.” Tony responded then looked for Loki. He found the god at the overlook, watching the fire below.   
“Like the view?”  
"Very much so. Though I could have done better. I'm good for fire spells." Loki chuckled.  
“Hey, this isn’t a competition.” Tony said with a playful little smile. “One less threat to worry about.” He sighed, knowing it wouldn’t last long. “We should head back.”  
Loki nodded.   
"Alright."  
“It’s just a debriefing and then we go back to the tower.” Tony flipped his visor back on and flew off with the god.   
Loki shook his head. "I hate those damned things."  
“If you behave through the whole meeting, I’ll build you another library.” Tony smiled and landed outside SHIELD with Loki.   
"I don’t need another library, just more books." he replied.  
“Yeah, and what do you think is going to be in the new library? Cats?” Tony teased as they walked into the debriefing room and sat down.  
“What did we miss?”  
"Nothing yet we were waiting for you." Fury replied. "Are you sure everything is dust?"  
"Yes." Loki answered.  
“The place was packed with explosives and gunpowder. One wrong spark and the whole place would have gone up in flames on its own.”  
Fury nodded. He started debriefing them telling them that they would question the ones they brought in with them and watch the compound to make sure no one went sniffing about.  
Tony wasn’t exactly a big fan of interrogation; he preferred to leave that to Natasha. So he was sent back to the site to set probes and scanners out.   
“Do you want to hang out with me or stay here?” He looked at Loki before he left. Tony had never seen Loki conduct an interrogation, so he wasn’t sure just how the god would handle it.   
"I have to stay. They want me to try interrogating see if I can get anything out of people or at least see if they're lying or not."  
“Have fun then. I’ll see you back at the tower later.” Tony gave a slight smile and wanted to go in for a kiss, but since they were still at SHIELD, he didn’t want to risk getting them in trouble. He settled then for a playful spank on Loki’s ass before he took off.  
Loki glared at him when he did this.  
Loki followed Natasha off to one of the rooms and stood in the corner to let the woman start her job. If she couldn’t get the information out of them or they lied it was his turn.  
Natasha did well enough on her own with most of the prisoners they’d brought in. Her techniques worked well until they got to one officer in particular. This man seemed intent on keeping his secrets secret.   
Tony went back to the tower and got to work on probes for security at the site.   
“Nothing fancy Jarvis.”  
“I will do my best Sir.”  
“How are the probes coming Stark?”  
“They’ll be done in a few hours. Any movement on site?” Tony had opened up a line so he could talk to Steve and Clint from his lab.   
"He's lying. Everything he's said so far is a lie." Loki said.  
"Who the hell is this clown?" the officer asked.  
Natasha suddenly smiled.   
"Your worst nightmare. Have fun Loki." she said standing in a corner.  
The man's eyes widened when he heard Loki's name.  
“Loki of Asgard?” He repeated and looked at the god almost betrayed. “Why are you helping these people?” Hydra had been almost entirely based around Loki and his power. When the organization had heard Loki was able to harness the Tessaract, they had searched for him everywhere.   
“Nothing yet, but it’s still fresh here. There’s nothing left of the building but a few walls.”  
“No stragglers or weapons?”  
“Nothing.”  
Tony nodded.   
“Good.”  
Loki smiled.   
"I do what I want." he said. "Now, unless you wish for this to become very painful, I would suggest you start talking and I know when you're lying."  
“They’re keeping you prisoner here, there can be no other explanation.” The officer frowned at Natasha. “You have turned one of the greatest powers of the universe and spoiled it!”  
“Hey Cap, the probes are in their way.” Tony sent two of his suits to carry crates with probes to the site.   
“All right. You keeping the suits here?”  
“Yeah, they’re all yours.”  
"I can walk out of here any time I feel like it." Loki replied. "They have spoiled no powers because I am still the strongest power there ever was." He smiled. Loki stepped closer to the man and forced him to look him in the eyes. A little trick he learned in his teens to make people see things in them. "Tell me what you were all doing or this will be your future."  
The man felt terror suddenly grip his stomach as he stared up at Loki. He tried to look away but couldn’t. The man stammered and shook and Natasha couldn’t help but wonder what was happening to him.   
“There are-there are other active bases.”  
"Locations, I want locations." Loki said.  
“Two more here in New York. One is under the island and the other is in an abandoned railway system.”  
Natasha had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised with Loki’s skill. If she didn’t still want to see him dead, he’d make a good ally in her book.   
"Give me the others that you know about." Loki ordered again. "Out with it."  
The man began listing every location he knew of and they were all recorded. This had certainly turned out to be a good interrogation.   
Even Fury was impressed, though he wouldn’t admit it to the god. He already had enough to deal with when it came to Tony’s inflated ego.  
Loki stepped back from the man and looked at agent Romanov. "Does that cover all you needed to know?"   
“For now.” Natasha looked at Loki then away as they walked out of the room. “That wasn’t half bad.”   
Fury had sent the information back to Tony so he could find the locations and get live feeds on them.   
The inventor was pretty swamped with work, but he didn’t mind it. It wasn’t like he had much else to do.   
“Do we have clearance for that second satellite?”  
“Yes Sir, Director Fury has just put it through.”  
“Good.” He continued working, a drink just within reach.   
Loki was given the alright to head back to the tower. With the information they now had, they would be able to track down other locations and plan an attack after much needed rest.  
Tony was welding some pieces together for his new satellite when Loki got back. He had his music going in the lab and was bobbing his head  
Loki shook his head fondly as he watched Tony work. "Jarvis run a hot bath for me please." Loki said.  
"Of course."  
Tony paused for a moment to wipe the sweat and grease from his face and jumped a bit when he felt Loki’s cold hands on him.   
“Don’t sneak up on me like that.”  
"You'll survive. I'm going to take a bath. Join me when you're done."  
Tony nodded then stopped when he realized what Loki said.   
“Wait you mean like, join you in the bath?”  
"No, in bed." Loki rolled his eyes. "But you better take a bath before you come to bed."  
Tony scoffed and grumbled as his shoulder drooped. He nodded and went back to work.   
Loki left him to keep working and went to have his much needed bath.  
Tony didn’t finish working until later that night. He hauled himself up to the bedroom and was so tempted to just let his tired body fall onto the bed. He was about to when he saw Loki asleep there and remembered their earlier deal. He groaned and went into the bathroom for a shower.  
Loki woke up slightly when he heard the shower turn on. He adjusted himself.  
Tony took just a quick shower and the warmth was making him even more tired. He got out of the shower and dried off quickly, not bothering with more than his boxers before he went to the bed.  
"Good night." Loki mumbled to him.  
Tony grunted in response, too tired to speak. He let his body melt into the bed and sighed.  
Making himself comfortable, he settled in and was soon fast asleep once more.  
Tony passed out soon enough and didn’t move much through the rest of the night.   
Loki was the first one up the following morning and had breakfast going for them.  
Tony was still asleep until he caught a whiff of the food. He sniffed the air then opened his eyes slowly and stretched.   
Jarvis showed him a video feed.   
"I knew it would happen."  
Tony yawned and stood, pulling on some clothes.   
“What happened?”  
"That if I left the door open the smell of food would wake you up." he smiled.  
Tony chuckled as he walked over and kissed Loki’s cheek.   
“You are sneaky.”  
Loki smiled and handed him a plate of pancakes. "Eat up."  
Tony smiled and sat down to eat. He had never been much a fan of pancakes until Loki came along.   
"Did you want some fruit to go with it?"  
“Fruit on pancakes?” Tony looked at the god curiously.   
"I like strawberries." He replied.  
“I guess I could try it.” Tony shrugged and watched as Loki cut up some fruit to put on the pancakes.   
Loki gave Tony strawberries to eat with his pancakes. He himself blueberries to eat.  
Tony looked at his food for a moment before tasting the berries with his pancakes. His eyes widened and he licked his lips. It was much better than he’d thought it would be.   
"See? I knew you would like it."  
“It is pretty good.” Tony took another bite and hummed in his throat.   
Loki sat down to have his own breakfast.   
"Jarvis are there any messages?" He asked.  
"No, Sir."   
“Huh, that’s new. Usually Fury sends a shit ton of messages.”   
"I will keep the lines open in case he calls." Jarvis said.  
“All right.” Tony finished his breakfast and wiped his mouth. It was oddly filling. “Those were good.”  
Loki smiled. "Good to know."  
Tony grinned at the god and picked up his plate then stole a quick kiss.   
Loki rolled his eyes.   
"What are you doing for the day?"  
“I have to finish working on the satellite. Have to get it launched and then I have to set it up so we can have more eyes in the sky on Hydra.”  
Loki nodded. "Right then." He said.  
“Sorry I can’t hang out with you much today. The satellite’s mostly done but all the programming will take all day.”  
Loki nodded. "Alright."


	107. Chapter 107

“Ordered you some new books. They should be getting here in a few hours.”   
"Thank you." Loki kissed his cheek before going on his way.  
Tony smiled and watched Loki walk off before going back into his lab.   
“Alright, what do we have?”  
“Systems have been checked and secured Sir. They will need only installation and a quick run to make sure they function properly.”  
“Good.” He put on his welding gloves and goggles then got back to work.  
Fury called in two hours later, asking Loki to come in for more interrogations and then talking to Stark asking on the progress.  
“The satellite will launch tonight and be ready early morning. It’ll be fully operational either at SHIELD or here at the tower.”  
"Good. Call me when it's finished."  
“You’ll be the first to know. You want a pretty decal on it?”  
“Shut up and finish the damn thing.” Fury cut the call and Tony laughed.  
Loki put his armor back on and got himself off to the SHIELD.   
Tony wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Loki going off to SHIELD alone, but he had to trust Fury wouldn’t do anything rash.  
Loki arrived at SHIELD with a dark look on his face that already made others step back as he walked in.  
Fury greeted Loki down near the cells.   
“You look ready for another interrogation.”  
Tony finally finished putting the satellite together and gave it to two of his suits for delivery.   
"They all seem to like what I can do and yet hate that I'm working with you." Loki shrugged.  
“Hydra is your biggest fan Laufeyson. I’ve had several prisoners ask if we’re brainwashing you to work for us.”  
Loki let out a laugh. "They wish it was that simple."  
“We have a couple of them that might know more than they’re letting on. Agent Romanov did a good job getting information, but she seemed rather intent on bringing you in again.”  
Loki nodded. "Line them up and bring them in then."  
Fury took Loki to another cell where five Hydra agents waited.   
“Anything you can wring out of them is useful.”  
Loki nodded. "Can you give them to me one at a time? It's easier to break them down if they don’t have the others with them."  
“There’s another room through that door. Knock yourself out.” Fury walked out to watch from the other side of the glass.  
Loki nodded and used his magic to cuff one of the men and drag them forward to another cell.  
The others watched quietly and sat tall. They hadn’t been interrogated by Loki yet and had no idea what awaited them.  
By the time Loki was done with the first, the man was begging to be killed and Loki had not laid his hands on him.  
The other four looked over terrified and blanched as Loki went back for another.   
Fury nodded as they got all the information they needed out of the men.  
By the time Loki got to the last Hydra agent, he was more than ready to talk. The god didn’t even have to ask for information.   
Back at the tower, Tony was running some more tests on the satellite to make sure it worked properly. It had launched fine, so at least they didn’t have to worry about that.  
Loki smiled as the man spilled his guts to him and gave up every secret he knew, even a few that didn’t matter.   
"That is highly effective."  
When the man was done, he was hauled back to his cell.  
Fury stood outside of the room, impressed once again.  
Loki exited the cell and stood before Fury. "Are we done for the day?"  
“Surprisingly yes. You’re going to run some of my agents out of a job at this rate.”  
"Enough of them hate me as it is." Loki replied.   
“They have their reasons.” Fury looked at Loki. “You can go. Tell Stark thanks for the satellite.”  
Tony was still in his lab, but at least now the satellite was done.   
Loki nodded. "Everyone does." And just as he'd come in he left.   
Tony was sipping on a beer as he finally finished the last bits of programming for the satellite. He grinned as it came to life without a hitch.  
“Jarvis, pull up imagines of the Hydra locations for me.”  
“Of course Sir.” The locations appeared a moment later. "Also Mr. Laufeyson has returned." Jarvis informed.  
“Oh yeah?” Tony set his things down and quickly went upstairs to see Loki.  
Loki was already changed and on the bed with a book in his lap and a plate of fruit and cheese next to him.  
Tony walked into the room and grinned when he saw the god.   
“Hey Reindeer Games.”  
"Hello Anthony." He said with a smile. "All done."  
“Yeah, the satellite’s up and functioning. We have live feeds on all the locations you got for us.” Tony went over and sat on the bed next to Loki. “What are you reading?”  
"Little Women today." Loki replied.  
“What’s it about?” Tony looked at the pages of the book, reading only a few lines.  
"Four sisters." Loki replied. "They go through life during the civil war but are far from the fighting. It's their life, their loves their sadness."  
“Sounds like a weird book. Why do you like it?” Tony didn’t think this would be something the god would be interested in.   
"Because it was one of the books you bought me." he said.  
Tony felt oddly pleased hearing this. He smiled at the god then sat back.   
“Aw, that’s sweet.”  
"What are you about to do?" Loki asked turning a page.  
“Sit here and watch you. I don’t have anything else to work on.”  
"Get comfortable then." He smiled.  
“You going to read to me?” Tony curled up close to Loki and rested his head on the pillow.  
"Is that want you would like us to do?" Loki asked.  
Tony shrugged. “If you want to. If not then I’ll just lay here.”  
"I'll read for you." Loki smiled.  
“Good.” Tony smiled back and got comfortable.  
Loki started reading out loud to him.  
Tony listened quietly, letting Loki’s voice flood his mind.   
Loki fell asleep while reading.  
Tony smiled at the god and put the book to the side, moving Loki slowly so he wouldn’t be sore.  
Loki curled up on his side, sliding in closer to Tony he stayed fast asleep.  
Tony put one of his arms around Loki and adjusted himself so he could be comfortable. He smiled a bit at the sleeping god then closed his eyes.  
Loki was quite happy to be in Tony's arms. That was until he heard the thunder booming outside.  
Tony tensed slightly when he heard the storm outside. Had there been anything on the news about this though? He looked towards the window, pressing a bit closer to Loki.  
"It's not Thor Anthony." Loki said. "There's nothing to be afraid of."  
Tony blinked and snapped out of his thoughts when he realized Loki was awake. He looked down at the god and smiled a bit.  
“Thought it might be him out there.”  
"It's not. I know the difference." Loki smiled.  
“As long as you’re sure.” Tony kissed Loki softly then sighed.   
Loki nodded. "I am."  
“Good, then we can relax.” Tony settled against Loki and tried to relax. It was easier with Loki there.  
Loki rubbed Tony's back with a smile on his face. "I love you."  
Tony smiled more as he heard those words. He kissed Loki’s forehead.   
“I love you too.”  
Loki let himself get carried off to sleep again.  
Tony stayed awake a while longer, waiting for his heart to calm down.  
The thunder went away but the rain continued through the day.  
Tony stayed tangled with Loki on the bed through the night, mumbling every so often under his breath.   
Loki woke up around late night and the rain was still coming down. Looking about Tony, he smiled at his sleeping face.  
Tony’s cheek was pressed against the pillow, his mouth slightly open. He’d always had so much trouble sleeping before he started sharing a bed with Loki. Now he could sleep right through a storm.  
Loki chuckled to himself before he got out of it to go find himself something to eat.  
Tony mumbled and turned on the bed, taking up most of it as he hugged Loki’s pillow.  
Loki sat at the table with a plate of food and a screen up with a movie for himself.  
Tony woke up after some time, grumbling as he looked around the room. Where had Loki gone?  
“Finally deciding to wake up Sir?”  
“Shut up.”  
Loki was still eating and watching TV. Outside it was still raining.  
Tony walked out of the room, running his fingers through his hair.   
“Hey. You sleep okay?”  
"I slept fine, I was hungry." Loki replied.  
“What are you eating?” Tony went over curiously and swiped a piece of fruit from the god’s plate.   
"Fruit and cheese."  
“Yummy. Weird but yummy, like those desserts Pepper and I had during those fancy meetings.” Tony went into the kitchen and grabbed a green drink out of the fridge.   
"I don't know how you drink those nasty things." he said with a frown.  
Tony took a large swig and shrugged. “You get used to it. I have to drink these every so often. Counteracts the toxins that my arc releases into my system.”  
"Why not build a new one that won’t give off the toxins?" he asked.  
“It’s a natural reaction to the excess of metals in my system. This is my newest reactor. I had to make the element for it myself.” Tony walked over and sat with Loki at the table. “My old reactor was releasing palladium into my system too quickly. Would have killed me in a few years. With this one, all it takes is one drink and I’m a new man.”  
Loki nodded in understanding. "Okay."  
Tony took another swig of the drink. “Really not that bad once you get used to drinking the stuff.”  
"Glad I don’t have to drink it."  
Tony chuckled a bit. “You do have to kiss me though.” Tony leaned in quickly, stealing a kiss before standing and finishing his drink.  
Loki made a face. "It’s on your lips."  
Tony chuckled amused and nodded. “Yep.”  
"I hate you."  
Tony grinned triumphantly then went back down to his lab to get some more work done.  
Loki stayed up stairs and watched as the sky grew light a few hours later, though the skies were still grey.  
Tony finished tinkering with the probes Fury had asked for and was checking the connection to the satellite. He frowned at some of the data he saw.   
“Jarvis what is that?”  
“Interference Sir, though I cannot say exactly from where.”  
“Keep an eye on that for me, would you?”  
“Of course Sir.”


	108. Chapter 108

"Jarvis, please send Stark upstairs, he needs to eat." he said.  
“I am afraid you will need to drag him out Mr. Laufeyson; Mr. Stark is quite taken with his work.”  
Never let it be said Tony Stark didn’t do things right. He was up to his elbows in grease and dirt, welding different machines together and listening to his music.  
Loki frowned. "Then stop his work and tell him to come up."  
“Sir, Mr. Laufeyson has asked that you go upstairs to eat.”  
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.”  
“Sir, he has asked that I shut down the lab if you do not come upstairs.”  
“What? Since when do you listen to him?”  
"Since I realized he was good for your health." the AI replied.  
Tony rolled his eyes. “I have to get this done.”  
“Sir, it is not as if your meal will halt all production of your work.”  
“Did you know you sound more and more like my mom every day?” Tony was about to get back to work when the lab went dark.”  
“Jarvis, you’re grounded.”  
"Go eat. It will only take half an hour." Jarvis said.  
Tony grumbled and climbed out from under his machine. He washed himself off and went upstairs.   
“That wasn’t cute.”  
"Well aware, Sir."   
Tony sat at the table with Loki, and he couldn’t deny that smelling the food was making him really hungry.   
“What did you make?”  
"Chicken club sandwich and soup." he replied.  
“Oh, so you’re a soup and sandwiches guy, huh?” Tony smiled and tried the soup.  
"Sometimes." he said.  
“This soup is amazing. What’s in it?”   
"Diced tomatoes, corn, celery and mushrooms."  
“How do you manage to make me like things? I hate mushrooms.”  
"Because I'm the one that made it and you love me enough to try anything."  
Tony gave the god a skeptical look but couldn’t disagree. He finished up the soup and half the sandwich. “That was good.”  
Loki smiled, taking the half Tony didn’t finish and eating it for himself.  
“You could be on one of those cooking shows. Have your own show and everything.” Tony chuckled a bit at the thought.   
"No." Loki replied.  
“I’m just saying, it would be kind of cool. And funny.” Tony grinned playfully.  
"Only you would think so." Loki replied.  
“Have you ever heard yourself talk? Hell I think people would watch it just to hear your voice.” Tony had never heard a voice so smooth and rich in all his life, and that was saying something.  
"What’s it like inside your head?" Loki asked. "Do you always jump from topic to topic?"  
“Yeah, Pepper thinks I have ADD.” Tony shrugged. “I like to keep things moving around, helps me focus.”  
Loki had no clue what ADD was, so he waved his hand dismissing it.  
“Sir, the anomaly from earlier has not shown up again in any scans.”  
Tony glanced up at the ceiling and nodded.   
“Must have been random static.”  
“It would appear so Sir.”  
Loki cleaned up their mess and sat down once more to have another long conversation with Jarvis.  
"Stark, suit up and bring Laufeyson with you. We're going after another Hydra base." Fury’s sounded through what was once silence over the speakers.  
“Well, the quiet didn’t last long.” Tony stood and looked at Loki. “Better get ready.”   
Loki closed his book and left to get into his armor. "You know he could give us better warnings."  
“You’re confusing Fury for nice human beings.” Tony shook his head and went to get his suit. Jarvis put it on the man easily and Tony waited out on the balcony for Loki.  
Loki beat Stark to SHIELD as he usually did.  
Tony arrived moments later at SHIELD, shaking his head.   
“I’d get here fast if I could just snap my fingers and appear places too.”  
"Well you can’t so sit down and listen." Fury ordered.  
Tony sat down along with the others, flipping up his visor to look at the director.  
"We're going after one of the two here in New York. Thanks to Laufeyson and Romanov, we have passwords and codes to get in, so we won’t have to use force. Least not yet."  
“Alright. Capture and destroy and then?”  
Fury nodded. “I want only higher ranking Hydra agents brought here. Everyone else gets turned over to the Council.”  
"Once they're in, Laufeyson, Romanov, you're on interrogation detail." Fury added.  
Natasha nodded. “Sounds fair.”  
“Anything in particular we should worry about?”  
“Other than the fact that it’s Hydra? We’ve got it from one of our prisoners that they’ve got specialized soldiers in one of the bases. They don’t know any details, but I want everyone on their toes.”  
"Define specialized." Loki said.  
“Like Agent Romanov. Hydra has their own special ops, and they’re all trained at her level. Sometimes, they’re like Captain Rogers here, enhanced with chemicals.”  
Steve clenched his jaw slightly.   
“If we run into soldiers like that, what do we do?”  
"If you can bring them, if it proves too hard, kill them." Fury said looking at Loki, Barton and Natasha more so to do that.  
Everyone nodded and got ready to go out. They were being sent in smaller groups than usual with plenty of SHIELD agents as back up.   
Tony got stuck with Steve and Clint going to one of the bases. Natasha, Bruce, and Loki were sent to the other location.   
"Hey Loki, think you can do that shadow thing like before?" Natasha asked him.  
"Of course." He smiled. "Cover my back." he said.  
Natasha pulled out her guns and stayed close. She stood and took out two guards, keeping Loki guarded so he could summoned his shadows.   
“We’re clear, move!” Tony had done a quick thermal scan before they burst in. It was obvious no one had been expecting a raid of these locations; no one was armed.  
Loki was completely submersed in his concentration to summon at least two dozen shadows to help them.  
Natasha took out more guards and when the shadows appeared; they took care of the rest.   
Steve and Tony easily made their way through the other base, capturing a few Hydra agents to take back to SHIELD.   
Loki's shadows found them a small group of higher ups that Banner was able to take back.  
Tony looked at all the computers and research that was out.   
“This doesn’t look too good.”  
“Does anything Hydra does look good?” Steve went over curiously. “What is it?”  
Loki let his shadows disappear before moving to grab two of the agents himself.  
Natasha went ahead and found another agent hiding out in a room.   
“Really?” She rolled her eyes and cuffed him.   
“We’ll need to get this back to Fury. All I see are plans and maps.”  
Steve nodded, looking them over. “What about the computers?”  
Tony scoffed and went over, putting something on the computers.   
“Jarvis, download.”  
"Already working on it Sir." Jarvis relied. "I should be done in just a few moments."  
“Good. Scan everything then send to Fury.”  
“Yes Sir.”  
“Useful.” Steve noted with a slight nod.   
“Yeah, just a bit. We got everything here?”  
Steve nodded. "Nat says they're done as well. Let’s get back."  
Tony nodded and followed Steve back out then glanced back at Clint.   
“Have fun?”  
"It's always fun kicking some Hydra ass."  
“I agree.” Tony nodded, walking out of the building with the others.   
SHIELD agents took the captives and put them on the jet.   
Loki smiled internally as they headed back in.  
Everyone headed back to SHIELD to help either interrogate or sort through information.   
“What have you got Stark?”  
“Not much yet. Jarvis is still scanning and hacking the files.”   
Steve set down several documents and maps. “Whatever it was they were doing, it’s huge.”  
Loki hauled a man into a cell. "You'll all be fun to question later." He smirked.  
"Traitor!" One of the men screamed.   
"To whom?" Loki asked. "I've betrayed no one, I did not work for you or anyone else.” He lied."  
“You could have done so many things! You could have torn down the lies and given truth to this pathetic world!”  
Fury frowned at the man as he spoke.   
“Get him in his cell, and put duct tape over his mouth.”  
"I'm the god of lies." Loki said before walking away. He was beginning to enjoy this.  
It seemed that those words really set in with Fury. He watched Loki go and sighed heavily. He only hoped Tony’s fondness for this lunatic wasn’t beginning to rub off on him as well.  
In another area of SHIELD, Tony was working with Steve and a few others to decipher what had been on the Hydra files.   
“Looks like they just had their regular plans: bombings, abductions, new bases.” Steve said as he looked everything over. “Nothing out of the ordinary that I can see.”  
"Sir, there is an encrypted section to this file. If I penetrate it, it will wipe everything SHIELD has as well as what we've already uncovered." Jarvis said.  
Tony scoffed and tried to think.   
“All right, save that part. We’re going to put it on a separate machine to crack through.”  
“Won’t it mess with Jarvis?”  
“No, I’ll do it manually.” Tony pulled up another device and got to work. “Jarvis, back up everything we’ve got so far and move it onto another system.”  
"Right away, Sir." Jarvis said doing as he was told.  
“I don’t know how heavy the encryption for this is, so it might take a while.”  
“Do you need anything?”  
“Coffee and some Scotch.”  
Steve frowned. “I’m not bringing you alcohol.”  
“Then bring coffee.”  
"Alright. You're gonna eat something too. I don't care what the heck it is but you're going to eat." Steve told him, before walking off.  
Tony rolled his eyes and got back to work. The initial fire walls were easy enough to get through, but he wanted to make sure he wasn’t getting rid of the data that was encrypted.   
Loki was sent back to the tower to let the Hydra agents think they were off the hook for a bit.  
Tony stayed at SHIELD headquarters to finish working on the files. At this rate, it would take a day to get through it.   
“Jarvis, tell Loki I’ll be here late and order him some dinner.”  
“Yes Sir.”  
Loki was already trying to get himself relaxed and settled so he would have full use of his magic the following day.  
“Mr. Laufeyson, Mr. Stark sends his apologies. It seems he is caught up with work at SHIELD. He has asked that I send you some dinner. Is there anything you would like?”  
"Order me some Italian. Please remind him to get some sleep and to eat something."  
“I shall do my best Mr. Laufeyson, but I am afraid Mr. Stark is a creature of habit. He dedicates himself to his work, especially when it will affect others.”


	109. Chapter 109

"Then tell him if he ever wants to shares the bed with me again he'll do it."  
“You certainly have a way with threats Mr. Laufeyson. I shall inform Mr. Stark.”  
Tony was up until three working. He’d eaten a sandwich-only because Steve wouldn’t leave him alone-and had plenty of coffee.   
“How’s it looking?”  
“I still haven’t gotten through.”  
Loki had eaten showered and gone to bed.  
“Go home Stark. You can keep working tomorrow.”  
“I have to get this done. I almost got that second encryption cracked.”  
“Stark—“  
“Let me do this Rogers!” Tony snapped at the man and frowned.   
Steve simply sighed and shook his head.   
“Go home.” He spoke again, but more firmly this time.  
Tony looked at Steve and pursed his lips but left everything as it was.  
Loki was tucked into bed and wrapped up comfortably. He was in and out of sleep, so Jarvis left a movie playing on a loop.  
Tony arrived back at the tower and felt the fatigue from earlier claw at him. He sighed and ran his hands over his face, heading to the bedroom.  
"Come on Anthony, I'm waiting." Loki called Tony, having heard him.  
Tony gave a tired smiled and went over to the bed, letting his body rest into it slowly.  
“Waiting to sleep or are you in the mood for something else?”  
"Come to bed." Loki held up the covers for him to get in.  
Tony got under the covers with the god and groaned in satisfaction as the bed seemed to hug him.   
“Hello Bed.”  
"Good night Anthony."   
“Night Reindeer Games.” Tony closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.  
Loki woke up the next morning to the sound of Jarvis' voice.   
"Sir Director Fury is calling for you."  
Tony was still deep asleep, his limbs tangled with Loki’s.   
"Stark, wake up." he said.  
Tony groaned and shifted, opening his eyes.   
“What happened?”  
"We have to go." He said. "Fury wants us back."  
Tony scoffed but got up.   
“I have to finish that encryption.”  
"I have to interrogate Hydra agents."  
“At least you’ll be done soon. I still have to get through that stupid code.” Tony ran his hands over his face and got dressed. It would be another long day.   
"I have twenty three people to question."  
“Yeah but you’re scary and you have magic.” Tony looked at the god then grinned. “I heard about how you did in the interrogations.”  
Loki smiled. "They think I'm being brain washed."  
“Somehow I don’t think that could happen.” Tony leaned over and kissed Loki. “Ready to go?”  
"Yes." Loki replied. "Can we get a box of donuts on the way?"  
“Yeah why not?” Tony put on his shoes and grabbed his car keys. “Jarvis, tell Fury we’re on our way.”  
“Very well Sir.”  
Loki followed him to the car and was quite happy to get something to eat.  
Tony started up the car and they headed off, stopping by to get some donuts on the way.   
Loki was glad to have them.  
Tony took one of the donuts and nearly stuff the whole thing in his mouth as he drove to SHIELD headquarters.   
Loki ate his half of the donuts and cleaned himself off so he didn’t look a mess. He steeled his features before getting out of the car and heading in.  
Tony walked inside with the god and looked at him.   
“I’ll be in that tech room all day. If you finish before I do, just go back to the tower. Jarvis can drive you.”  
Loki nodded. "Alright." he said.  
“See you later.” Tony winked at the god playfully then went to the tech room where the machines were waiting.   
Loki walked into the control room where Fury was and stood there. "Director."  
Fury looked at the god and gave a slight nod.   
“We’ve got more prisoners for you to interrogate. Rogers is antsy about the plans he and Stark found, thinks there might be more to them.”  
Loki nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Bring me the first victim."  
A Hydra agent was brought in and clearly, he’d heard stories of Loki’s methods. He went pale as a sheet when he saw the god and tensed.   
“They have made you soft.” The man choked out. “Let us help you!”  
"Help me? You can't even help yourself." He smiled. Loki formed a single shadow. "Do you remember my friend here?" He asked.  
“We could get you out of their control.” The Hydra agent looked at Loki determined then looked at the shadow. His eyes widened and he began to shake. “No, no!”  
The shadow stayed in place. "I don’t need saving. I am the most powerful being you will ever see."  
“They’re using you.” The agent hissed. “You are a god! You should be revered and worshipped, not used like a simple pawn!”  
Fury crossed his arms as he watched.   
"I'm a free being. I could walk out of here any time I wanted. But here's the thing, I work alone, and I want to wipe you and all your little friends off the map and then the world is mine."  
Fury hoped with all his being that this was a ploy. A ruse on Loki’s part to get the Hydra agent to snap. There was a chill in the god’s words and they rang like a warning.   
The man inside the cell shuddered and shook his head slowly.  
“They have you under their control. They’ve made you soft.”  
The Shadow suddenly appeared behind the man, ripping the chair from under him and forcing him to the ground.   
"I have full right to kill you and they wouldn't miss you." Grabbing his face, Loki forced the man to look him in the eyes. "The things I've seen and the things I've done make what you did look like child's play." Loki grinned in a sinister way.  
The agent looked at Loki with fear clear in his eyes, but he gave a twisted sneer.   
“I am nothing but a foot for Hydra to stand on. You think this will end with me? With the men in the next room?” He shook his head. “There will always be more. Cut one head and another takes its place.”  
Fury scowled when he heard those words.   
“How’s it going?” Steve walked over and stood next to Fury.   
“He’s cracking this one pretty quick.”  
Loki smiled and using his magic, he implanted a vision in the man's mind. One of Loki suddenly growing scaly and a mix of green and blue scales. Teeth like spears, claws like razors.  
"I am the scariest thing you'll ever see. You won't defeat me." he snarled.  
"What the hell is he doing?" Steve asked watching the screen.  
“I honestly have no idea, but if it works, I don’t care.” Fury watched from where he stood. “How’s Stark?”  
“He’s getting through the encrypted files slowly. There are so many layers he has to get through though.”  
The man inside the cell began to struggle and scream.  
"He's not even touching him." Steve said.   
Suddenly the vision ended. "Tell me what I want to know."   
The man spilled his guts in a matter of minutes and then begged for mercy.  
Steve watched impressed and pursed his lips slightly.  
“He’s not too bad.”  
“We should get him a job here.”  
“I don’t think Stark would like that too much.”  
Loki left the interrogation room. Going upstairs, he entered the control room.   
"Director, Captain." Loki nodded to Steve.   
"Did you get anything useful from him?"  
Steve looked over at Loki then away. He wasn’t exactly thrilled about the way they got information, but it was useful.  
"Is something wrong Captain?"  
“Nothing.” Steve looked back at Loki. “What did you get out of him?”  
Tony threw up his hands as finally got through the encryption. Almost twenty hours of work, but he’d done it.  
"Question should be, what didn't I get out of him?" Loki joked.  
“We’re going to need all the information you got out of that guy. Hopefully the others will be more willing.”  
“Sir, Stark says he’s gotten through to the files.” Agent Hill walked over and looked at Fury as she spoke.   
"Everything is being recorded. You'll have to go back and watch it all. I make it a rule not to remember what they say." Loki told Steve.  
Fury shook his head but didn’t argue.   
“Tell Stark I’ll be there in a minute.”  
Agent Hill nodded and left the room again.  
The one man was removed from the room and another was brought to replace him.  
Steve stayed to watch the interrogations while Fury went to see just what files Tony had pulled up for them.   
The inventor sat in the tech room, comparing the files to what Steve had found in the base.   
Loki never had to touch the men. They feared the sight of him and what he could do. A few small threats and a vision in their minds and they gave Loki everything, but not before telling him he was soft and being controlled.  
“What did you find Stark?”  
“It all coincides with the maps Rogers found, but these are the actual details of what they wanted to do.”  
“Which is?”  
“Based on what I found, we may have to prepare for a city wide attack.”  
Fury frowned. He left Stark to keep finding information out and went to find Loki. Getting to the room, he called the god out of it.  
"Ask them all about a city wide attack. I don't care how you do it but I want to know." Fury said.  
"Deal." Loki answered.  
Tony sifted through the information and sent it directly into SHIELD so Fury could have access to it. This wasn’t looking too good for them.   
"You have got to be kidding me." Fury said to him.  
"It's a poison. Hydra will have all they need for soldiers in a matter of hours on the day it happens." the man said. "Each will go off in time for the wind to cover that section. No one will be safe. Not in this weather. Windows open, air conditioners on." he said.  
“We need to find out where these things will go off and get an antidote.” Fury started walking out of the room and looked Agent Hill.   
“Tell Stark and Dr. Banner to start making up an antidote for us to use on this!”  
“Yes Sir.” Agent Hill jogged off to the tech room.  
“Did you finish getting through the files?” Bruce brought Tony some fresh coffee as he walked into the room.   
“Most of it. The rest of the files were damaged; part of a security they’d set up to keep others from tampering.”  
"Do the files have any information on what chemicals are used in the bombs?" Loki asked. "I know if you're lying and I'll kill you if you don't tell me the truth.”  
The agent shook his head, eyes wide.


	110. Chapter 110

“Only the scientists knew! I swear!”  
“We’ll need to equip all hospitals and clinics in the area, make sure they have an advance notice of what’s going on.”  
Tony and Bruce were shuffled into the labs downstairs along with other SHIELD scientists.   
"You're lying, I know you know. Tell me what's in them!" Loki ordered suddenly having the man pinned against the wall.  
The man yelped and began to sob, shaking badly all over.   
“I’m not lying! We put the bombs together but they didn’t tell us what was in them! G-Gina! Gina in the next room knows, she designed them!”  
Loki dropped him and went to get the one they called Gina. Seeing the woman he felt best to be kind about it at first.  
Gina sat tall as she looked at Loki, clearly set on being the one victim of his that survived the interrogation.   
“I will tell you nothing. We could have given you this earth on a pedestal.”  
"Well you aren't and you didn't and now I want answers. I know if you're lying and don’t think that just because you're a woman I won't hang you by your insides." Loki smiled. "Now I'm going to be nice about this. What's in the bombs?" Loki asked.   
Gina looked up at Loki clearly afraid, but she didn’t speak. She pursed her lips, her hands clenched into fists.   
“Hail Hydra.”  
Loki forced her to look at him. "Tell me what I want to know." Loki used his powers to form a darker illusion for her.  
The woman began to panic and scream as the illusion grew worse. To her credit, she lasted several minutes longer than her comrades, but she broke nonetheless. She told them the components of the bombs and where they would be released.  
“We can take some of them out now.”  
“I want agents on scene now.” Fury ordered. It would be easier to have SHIELD agents go out instead of the Avengers. He didn’t want to attract attention.  
Loki smiled as he walked out of the room and the last agent was removed. "And it's all done." he smiled.  
“Good. We’ve given all the information to Stark and Dr. Banner. They’re synthesizing an anti-toxin for us now.”  
“Sir, bomb squads have been sent out. They’ve already located one bomb and working to remove it.”  
“Make sure hospitals and clinics are informed but keep this quiet.”  
Loki went to find Anthony and settled down with him.   
"You found out about the bombs, I got the rest of the information. We make a rather great team you and me."  
Tony looked at the god and grinned slightly.   
“We do. You scare the bad guys, I round em up.” Tony winked at the god then looked back at the work they were doing. “Thankfully this isn’t something we can’t handle. We know it’s airborne and we have a good anti-toxin in the works.”  
"They found one already and are working on a second one for us."  
Tony nodded. “At least we caught this. Can’t imagine what kind of trouble we’d be in if we hadn’t found out about this.” Tony looked at Bruce and the others before pulling Loki with him into the hall. “Thanks for helping us with all of this.”  
Loki nodded. "I do it for you and you only." he said.  
Tony smiled a bit, feeling just slightly special.   
“Tell you what, we’ll go out somewhere tomorrow. You deserve to be spoiled a little.”  
Loki smiled. "I like the sound of that, but don't go overboard."  
“I never go overboard.” Tony smiled playfully then went back into the lab to keep working. At least this time he wouldn’t be up so late.   
"Sure you don't." Loki replied.  
Tony shot Loki a playful glare before getting back to work. Thanks to Loki, this wouldn’t take nearly as long as it normally would have.   
Going to find Fury, Loki asked the man if he could return to the tower now that his job was done.  
Fury couldn’t see any reason to keep Loki at the headquarters.   
“We’ll call you if we need anything else.”  
Tony finished his part of the job soon enough and got ready to leave as well.  
Loki was back at the tower. Having bathed and cooked, he left a plate for Tony before going to bed.  
Tony drove up to the tower, still talking on the phone with Bruce about the anti-toxin they were developing.   
“It needs to be aerosolized in case we can’t get enough of that stuff to hospitals. Yeah, quick dispersal. I say we plant our own little bombs with the stuff.”  
"We're already working on it. They just found bomb number four."  
“If we’re lucky we’ll get to all of them before they go off.”  
"Yeah we are. They'll be destroyed properly by Shield and then the cure for it that we made up will be kept on standby."  
“All right. Keep me updated.” Tony hung up and set his phone back in his pocket. He’d sleep at least a bit better tonight knowing they’d made so much progress.  
Loki was fast asleep once more a book off to the side.  
Tony walked into the bedroom as quietly as he could and took off his shoes before getting onto the bed.  
When Tony woke the next morning, he was teetering close to the edge of the bed. He huffed and rolled back, sighing.  
"Where were you going?" he asked.  
Tony grumbled quietly and looked at Loki before yawning.   
“What do you mean?”  
"You kept inching your way out of bed." Loki said pulling him in.  
Tony yawned again and curled close to Loki.   
“Bad habit. I move a lot in my sleep and I tend to fall off the bed.”  
Loki pulled Tony in closer. "Not falling off today." he said to him.  
Tony smiled to himself and put his arm over Loki’s waist.   
“You gonna keep me safe?”  
"Until I cannot do so." Loki smiled.  
“Well aren’t you sweet?”  
“Sir, Director Fury…”  
Tony groaned loudly before Jarvis could finish. He wrapped his legs around Loki, refusing to get out of bed.   
“What does he want?”  
“He has called to inform you that ten bombs in total have been found, but not all have been recovered yet. Medical teams have been dispatched.”  
"Does he want Anthony to come in?" Loki asked.  
“No, but he would like to keep all of you informed to the current situation.”  
“How long until the bombs go off?”  
“Thirty minutes. Since they are only designed to release the toxin, Director Fury has set up medical teams to ensure no one is hurt.”  
Loki nodded.   
"And the cure is up ready and working?" Loki asked.  
"It is Mr. Laufeyson."  
“Fury still looking for the rest of the bombs?”  
“Yes Sir. He would like all of them collected and brought back to headquarters to ensure no further damage is done.”  
"Then until we get called in we sit here and don't move." Loki said.  
“I like that plan.” Tony got comfortable and sighed.   
"I knew you would."  
Tony smiled and tangled his legs with Loki’s.   
"What are you doing?"  
“I’m getting comfortable. Why?” Tony looked up at the god.   
Loki shrugged as he let Tony tangle them up.  
Tony sighed content and closed his eyes. He could fall asleep again right there.   
Loki played with his hair for a bit, twisting it in his fingers.  
Tony leaned into the touch and held onto Loki’s shirt. He felt getting himself getting drowsy again.   
"You can sleep." he said. "I won't mind."  
“Mm, you’re putting me to sleep.” Tony mumbled out.   
Loki smiled at him.   
Tony snuggled up against Loki and dozed off again, not waking for a while.  
Loki had left Tony in bed to find himself something to eat and a book to read.  
Tony stretched and reached for Loki. He grumbled when he didn’t feel the god and frowned, opening his eyes.   
"He's in the library, eating lunch and reading a book." Jarvis told him.  
“All right.” Tony yawned and stretched like a cat before getting out of the bed.   
Loki was lost in his book with a warm fire going in front of him.  
Tony went over to check on Loki before going into the kitchen for a snack and a drink.   
Loki followed after him after a moment or two. "Is there anything you want me to fix for you?"  
Tony turned back to the god and shrugged.   
“Nah, I’ll just make a sandwich. You want one?”   
Loki shook his head. "I ate already."  
“All right, more for me.”  
"Yes, now that you've finally joined the world of the living."  
Tony gave Loki a sarcastic smile.   
“It’s not my fault you were scratching my head. It’s my weakness.”  
"I'll keep that in mind." Loki smiled. Loki stood behind Tony and wrapped his arms around the man's waist.  
Tony felt his face heat up but he didn’t pull away. It was strange being in a steady relationship. After Pepper, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to do it again. Then again, Loki could understand Tony’s mind a lot better than even Pepper could. It was…simpler.   
Loki kissed the side of Tony's head before leaving him alone again.  
Tony stood there in happy shock before realizing his egg was almost burning. He quickly flipped it and huffed.   
"Sir, would you like to make dinner plans for the dinner you promised him?" Jarvis asked.  
“Yeah, go ahead and pulled up some nice restaurants.” Tony finished making his sandwich then sat down to eat. Jarvis pulled up a list on Tony’s phone for him to see.   
Jarvis brought up a list for him. "You can have dinner here, and set up for a lovely evening back here at the tower." Jarvis said.  
Tony hummed in thought as he chewed a mouthful of his sandwich. He licked his lips and set up a reservation.   
“Mm, make sure we have a room alone again.”  
“Of course Sir. Also, Ms. Potts has called. She would like to inform you that your have a mandatory meeting this weekend.”  
Tony groaned.  
Loki smiled as he laughed at the antics of the characters in his book.  
"Mr. Laufeyson, Mr. Stark has asked that I ask you to be ready for a night out by seven."  
“When she says mandatory…”  
“Sir, it is only one meeting and you did agree to go at least once a month.”   
“Fine, fine.” Tony nodded and finished his sandwich.  
"I've arranged for the dinner plans. I also sent for dessert to be set up along with a bottle of wine for your return." Jarvis said.  
“Jarvis, I love you sometimes.”  
“I’m sure you do Sir.”


	111. Chapter 111

Tony chuckled and went to check on Loki.   
“Hey, you want to go out for dinner?”  
"I do and Jarvis said be ready by seven." he said.  
“Good, then I’ll see you then.” Tony went over and kissed Loki’s cheek.   
Loki smiled and gave him a kiss in return before he got too far from him.  
Tony went back down to his lab to get a few more things done. Just some suit upgrades and-of course-checking the satellite they’d sent up.  
"Sir, you should start getting ready for dinner." Jarvis reminded Tony sometime later.  
Loki was already in the bathroom having a shower.  
“Yeah, you’re right.” Tony finished up one final detail before tossing off his work gloves and heading upstairs to get ready.  
"Your suit had been laid out in your bedroom. By the way, would you like for everything to be set up in your bedroom or Loki's?"  
Tony thought that over as he stripped down for a quick shower.   
“Go ahead and do it in here. His bedroom’s smaller than mine.”  
“All the rooms are smaller than yours Sir.”  
Tony grinned and got into the water.  
"What selection of wine would you like?" Jarvis asked.  
“Which one is Loki’s favorite?” Tony hopped out of the shower and dried off.   
"These are the ones he's never tried. Would you rather have a red or white?"  
“Let’s go red tonight.” Tony picked a bottle off the list and started to get dressed.  
"Of course, sir. Have a wonderful evening. A car is down stairs waiting to take you and Mr. Laufeyson to your destination when you're ready."  
Tony smiled to himself as he finished getting dressed.   
“You know what Jarvis? Why don’t you take the night off? Get yourself something nice.”  
“You’re too kind Sir.”  
“Damn right.” Tony looked himself over then walked out of the room.   
Loki was already waiting by the door.  
“Well, don’t you look sexy?” Tony grinned as he looked Loki over then grabbed the car keys. “Ready to go?”  
"Yes." Loki was wearing a black suit with a red shirt.  
Tony nodded and stepped into the garage with Loki. He opened the passenger side door for the god then got into the driver’s seat.   
Settling in, Loki smiled as Stark got into the car. "You certainly weren't lying." he said.  
Tony smiled at Loki curiously.   
“About what?” He started driving towards the restaurant with Loki.  
"Taking me out for dinner." he said.  
“C’mon Reindeer Games, have I ever lied to you?” Tony looked at him with a little smile.   
"No." Loki smiled.  
“Case and point.” Tony pulled up to the restaurant and got off with Loki. They walked in and were quickly seated in a room alone.   
"Low profile?" Loki asked.  
“Thought you might like it better.” Tony pulled out the chair for Loki before sitting down. “And I hate dining in full rooms.”  
Loki nodded. "Thank you for the thought."  
“I’m a thoughtful guy.” Tony smiled and glanced through the menu.   
The waiter walked over to them and took a moment to look at Loki. He frowned slightly and Tony tensed, worried he would recognize the god. The moment passed and the man shrugged.   
“Can I get you started with some wine?”  
“Yeah, this one.”  
When the man walked away, Loki looked at Stark.  
"I knew I should have changed my appearance."  
“That might have been a good idea. Hey, we’ll save it for next time. Right now, we’ll just tell the guy you get confused for yourself a lot.” Tony shrugged. He’d had to tell that lie to many people-specifically reporters-that had seen him when he didn’t want to be seen.  
Loki nodded in understanding and turned his attention back to the menu.  
Tony glanced through the menu before deciding on what he wanted. He’d go for a steak; he hadn’t had one in quite some time.  
Loki himself was going to have seafood for himself instead.  
The waiter came back and took their orders and menus before pausing a moment to look at Loki.   
“I’m sorry Sir, but you look oddly familiar.”  
Tony remained calm on the outside, knowing their reactions would dictate what happened next.   
"I’m not." Loki replied. With a few slight feature changes, Loki wasn’t Loki.  
“Then please forgive me." The waiter said with a polite little smile.  
Tony nodded at the waiter and sighed quietly as he walked off.  
“Good thing you have your magic again.” Tony smiled at the god. It was strange how subtle the changes to his face were, but he looked so different.   
Loki changed his hair from black to brown, eyes from green to blue and a slightly different change to the shape of his mouth.  
Tony was in awe of the god’s skill. Hell, even he was wondering if this was the same person.  
Their food was brought over sometime later and the waiter poured them fresh wine.  
“I should leave that poor guy a tip.”  
Loki sighed. "I can't wait until I’m me." He said.  
Tony chuckled at the god and shook his head. “Should have just stuck to lying.” Tony cut his steak and took a bite.   
Loki rolled his eyes. Sadly, lies would not get you everywhere.   
Tony took another bite of his steak then reached for his glass.   
“How’s your food?”  
"Very good actually." Loki smiled. Loki was having crab cakes with a salad.  
“Doesn’t look too good. Too much green.” Tony took another bite of his steak.  
"More green would do you a great deal of good." Loki told him.  
“You already made me cut back on drinking. Let me enjoy my red meats.” Tony finished his steak and wiped his mouth.  
"I never said you had to give them up. I’m just saying eat more green." Loki smiled.  
Tony looked at the god then took a piece of lettuce off his place. He ate it then licked his lips.   
“There.” He grinned.  
"Ass." Loki chuckled.  
Tony waggled his brows playfully and sipped his wine. “What? I’m eating more greens.”  
Loki finished eating and sipped down the rest of his wine.  
Tony paid for their meal once he’d finished and ordered them a dessert to share. He wasn’t usually big on sweets, but it was a small enough pudding dessert.   
As they left, Loki looked up at the stars. "Tonight is a lovely night." he smiled.   
“We can stay out for a while if you want and watch the sky.”  
"No, we can head back." Everything was ready for them when they returned.  
“Alright.” Tony went back to the car with Loki and they returned to the tower for the evening. He only hoped the god would like the little surprise.   
Loki smiled as they got back home. "How about getting comfortable and having some us time?"  
“Sounds like a good idea.” Tony smiled at Loki then paused and frowned curiously when he saw the cushions on the couch moved. “Jarvis, is someone here?”  
“I thought I’d stop by to see how you two were doing. Obviously, you’re doing a lot better than I thought.” Natasha stepped forward, her gaze cold as she looked at Tony.   
"Hello agent Romanov." Loki greeted.  
“Can’t you call ahead like normal people?”  
“Is it true you and Loki are dating?”  
Tony looked at Natasha and knew there was only person who could have told her: Fury. The inventor pursed his lips and shrugged.   
“Maybe, though honestly I don’t know how that works out on Asgard so we might not be.”  
"We are not dating." Loki said. "We are however, enjoying my freedom and ability to now explore Midgard."  
Natasha pursed her lips and for a moment, Tony truly feared she would kill him.   
“How could you do this?”  
“Can we not do this right now?”  
"It doesn't concern you. Fury knows and as much as he protests it, he is letting it be." Loki said. "Where were you when Anthony needed someone to help him get things back together? To take better care of himself and eat healthier?" Loki questioned. "You weren't. I was, I still am." Loki used his magic to put Natasha at the front entrance.   
She was about to speak again but scoffed when she realized she was outside. Natasha glared back up at the tower and stormed off.   
Tony stood quietly for a moment then took off his jacket. “I got you some wine I thought you might like.” He gave Loki a flirty smile, hoping to hide the nervousness he felt.   
Loki smiled at him. "So the evening continues then?"  
“Natasha may be able to snap my neck with her thighs and is scary enough to get me to stop partying but she can’t stop me from relaxing with you.” Tony smiled at Loki. “Come on.”  
Loki nodded, taking his lover's hand. "I like these nights with you."  
“I’m pretty fun to be with, aren’t I?” Tony grinned smugly then went to his room to change into some sweats.   
Loki found the room low lighted with candles, a bottle of wine by the bed.  
Tony walked over and nudged the god lightly.   
“Like it?”  
"I do." Loki picked up the wine and poured a glass before handing it to Tony.  
Tony sat with the god and took the glass, sipping from it. “Thought you might like this wine.”  
Loki took his glass and had a sip for himself. "It is good."  
Tony smiled then kissed Loki’s cheek.   
“Good. I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t.”  
Loki set the glass down and started to strip out of his clothes.  
Tony sipped his wine slowly, watching Loki get out of his clothes. He got a terrible idea then and grinned, reaching for his wallet. He pulled out a bill and quickly folded it into the god’s underwear.   
Loki turned around with a dark look in his eyes. "So is that what I am to you, a nice body?"  
Tony froze when he saw the look in Loki’s eyes.   
“What? No! Do you think I’d be doing any of this with you if that was all I thought about you?”  
Smiling, Loki leaned in. "I know."  
Tony relaxed. “You know that had the potential to be hot and you ruined it with that scary face.” Tony pulled the god close and kissed him.  
Loki chuckled into the kiss. Adjusting himself, Loki straddled Tony's waist.  
The inventor ran his hands up Loki’s sides, caressing his skin slowly.   
Loki kissed and nipped his way down Tony's neck.  
Tony craned his head to the side, letting Loki kiss more of his neck. He put his hands on the god’s ass, squeezing the cheeks.   
Loki gasped as his ass was grabbed.  
Tony kissed Loki’s chest, playing with the cheeks in his hands. He squeezed and spread them, flicking his tongue at the god’s nipple.   
Loki ground his hips down, trying to ignite something further in him.  
Tony moaned in his throat and pressed back against Loki, pinching the god’s other nipple and teasing both nubs at once.  
"Anthony." Loki pulled back from him and moved so he was on the bed pulling Tony with him.  
Tony leaned over the god and kissed from one shoulder to the other, whispering quiet praise against Loki’s skin. He moved down slowly to his chest, his hands on Loki’s thighs.  
Loki adjusted himself so Tony fell between his legs.  
Tony moved further down to Loki’s hips, teasing the skin above Loki’s groin with his teeth.  
Long pale fingers tangled into Tony’s dark locks.


	112. Chapter 112

Tony licked up along Loki’s shaft slowly, from base to tip. He sucked on the head, rubbing his tongue against it.  
Arching his back, Loki gripped Tony’s hair a bit harder.  
Tony took Loki’s cock all the way into his mouth, hollowing his cheeks as he sucked.   
Loki used all his will power not to thrust into the heat of the man's mouth.  
Tony rubbed Loki’s hips, bobbing his head as he sucked the god off. He could feel Loki’s thighs quivering and smiled mentally.  
Loki’s heels dug into the mattress and his toes curled as he came down Stark's throat.   
Tony swallowed Loki’s seed then pulled back, licking his lips.   
“Tasty.” He smiled playfully, climbing back over the god.   
Loki looked up at him through half lidded eyes.  
Tony kissed the god deeply before leaning back to pull off his shirt. He pressed his chest to Loki, kissing his neck.   
Loki could taste himself on the man’s tongue. Loki’s hands squeezed Stark's rear end before his hands wandered up his back.  
Tony leaned into the touch then kicked off his pants and underwear. He nestled between Loki’s legs, grinding against him.   
Loki kept his eyes on Tony's as he ground up to meet him.  
Tony peppered kisses along Loki’s neck and shoulders, pressing against him more.   
“Would you be okay if we went further?” Tony looked up into the god’s eyes breathlessly.   
"Yes." The green eyed man answered.  
Tony kissed Loki again then went for some lube. He quickly went back to the god and leaned over him.  
Loki watched him. It had been a long time since he'd had a lover want him like this.  
Tony slicked his fingers and pressed one between the god’s legs. He kissed Loki’s neck, his other hand rubbing inner thigh.  
"You can keep going."  
Tony pushed one finger in, nipping at Loki’s neck as he stretched the god slowly. He rubbed the god’s hip, feeling his blood rush.  
Loki whimpered softly, his hips jerking ever so slightly.  
Tony stretched Loki more before pushing a second finger in. He kissed along the god’s chest, leaving marks on his skin.   
Loki’s breath hitched in his chest as he felt Tony open him more. Another roll of his hips made him whimper as Tony's fingers slide dangerously close to his sweet spot.  
Tony paused for a moment then continued. He tugged on Loki’s nipple with his teeth, pushing his fingers in deeper.   
Loki groaned. "Please."  
“Please what?” Tony tugged at the god’s earlobe, pushing his fingers in deeper.  
Loki moaned again, his nails digging into Tony's back. "More."  
Tony thrust his fingers in and out Loki teasingly, arching into the god’s touch. He locked lips with Loki, his fingers just brushing against the god’s prostate.   
The teasing was driving Loki insane. His moans growing louder.  
Tony teased and prodded the god’s prostate before pulling his fingers out and getting between his legs. He slicked his cock and pressed their foreheads together.   
"You are a tease and a devious man Anthony."  
“I get that a lot.” Tony smiled at the god and pushed into him slowly. He kissed along Loki’s neck, his hands on the god’s thighs.   
Loki wrapped his legs around him tighter.  
Tony moaned as he pushed in completely. He paused for a moment then started rocking his hips. Loki’s skin felt cool against his own as Tony pressed their chests close.  
Loki whined with pleasure as he felt the pressure of Tony’s length filling him, pushing in and out of him.  
Tony pressed his face against the god’s neck, quickly losing his reason. He hadn’t felt like this in so long, it was incredible. He gripped Loki’s hips, thrusting harder.  
Loki's nails left angry red lines down his lover's back. His own back arching as the familiar sensation of his climax mounted.  
Tony snapped his hips hard, moaning Loki’s name under his breath.   
Loki's body began to tremble as he came. "Anthony!"  
Tony thrust a few more times then came inside the god hard. His mind blanked and he shuddered all over.   
“Loki, Loki!”  
Loki held him close clutching his lover to him.  
Tony blinked as he slowly came down from his high. He looked at Loki and pulled out of him slowly.   
“Sorry about that.” He chuckled dryly.  
"Don’t be, that was fantastic."  
Tony chuckled and leaned over Loki, kissing him softly.   
“I’m glad you liked it.”  
Shifting a bit, Loki rested his head on Tony’s chest.  
Tony adjusted himself a bit and sighed content.   
“That was good.”  
Loki nodded softly, placing a kiss to the skin around Tony's reactor.   
Tony shuddered slightly and looked down at Loki. No one had ever done that to the scars. Pepper was always too worried to touch near the reactor in case she would hurt Tony and all his other lovers simply pretended not to see them.  
"Are you all right?"  
“Hmm? Yeah, it’s just nobody’s ever touched my scars before. Well, I mean besides Pepper. Everybody usually looks at them kinda freaked out.”  
"They don’t bother me." Loki confessed.   
Tony looked at Loki slightly surprised but very content.   
“That’s a first.”  
"Scars never bothered me. I grew up in the heat of battle, training and war. Scars are nothing new to me."  
“Pepper was always worried she’d open up my chest again if she touched them. I don’t really think I helped when I asked her to help change out my reactor once.” Tony smiled.   
Loki shrugged. "Could you remove it just enough for me to have a look?"  
“The reactor? Yeah. Just don’t stare too long.” Tony pulled it out slowly and showed it to Loki. He was usually good for about two hours without it.   
Loki let his eyes take in each detail.   
"Amazing."  
“I guess it is. Nothing else exists like it, at least nothing man made.” Tony looked at his reactor then Loki.  
"Nothing here on earth that is." Loki corrected.   
“Yeah, cause I’ve seen the Tessaract in action. My reactor’s got nothing on that thing.” Tony shook his head then put the reactor back in his chest.   
He smiled. "No there is nothing like it. I hope there will never be anything like it again."  
Tony nodded in agreement.   
“One Tessaract is scary enough.”   
"Can we stop talking about it?"  
“Absolutely.” Tony adjusted himself on the bed then looked at Loki.  
Loki's green eyes were bright and the low light of the room made them a bit darker than they were before.  
Tony couldn’t help but stare at the god. He was just so beautiful. Sharp cheek bones, a very well squared jaw. And those eyes. He’d never seen eyes so beautiful.  
"There are flecks of blue in your eyes."  
Tony blinked and looked at Loki curiously.  
“What?”  
"There are bits of blue in the irises of your eyes."  
“Really?” Tony hadn’t exactly noticed before, though that was likely due to the fact that he didn’t spend much time looking at his own eyes.   
"You find out a great deal when you look into your own eyes or the eyes of another."  
“Oh, you’re pretty poetic.” Tony said with a teasing smile. “What else do you see?” He was curious now.   
Loki gave Tony a playful sneer before turning away.  
Tony raised a brow curiously and curled up to the god, wrapping his arms around him.   
“You know you feel cold on the inside too. I mean it’s not bad, just different.” Tony kissed the back of Loki’s neck softly.  
"I didn’t need to know that." Loki said. "Does it really not bother you?"  
“Nah.” Tony shrugged. “It’s nice cause it’s all you. It’s different, but I like it.” Tony pressed his lips to Loki’s shoulders blades.   
Loki pulled one of Tony’s hands to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to it.  
Tony smiled lazily and sighed content.   
“This is gonna sound really bad, but I’m glad you came here. I don’t know where I’d be right now if you didn’t.”  
Tony wasn’t normally one for such moments of weakness. Growing up with Howard, he learned the hard way to keep emotions in a bottle.   
"Losing your mind. I would be lost to the cosmos."  
Tony hummed in response, running one hand up and down Loki’s chest slowly.   
“When Pepper and I broke up, I really thought that was the end of it. I thought I’d be just as bitter as my old man was and that this job would kill me. I like having you here Reindeer Games.”  
"You are the only reason I bother to hope anymore." Loki said.  
“Guess it’s a good thing we found each other.” Tony smiled a bit to himself.  
"Yes." Loki smiled at him.   
Tony pulled the blanket up over them both then put his arms back around Loki.  
"Good night Anthony."  
“Good night Reindeer Games.” Tony smiled then closed his eyes.  
Loki listened to Tony fall asleep before falling asleep himself.   
Tony slept soundly that night, no nightmares or creeping darkness in his mind.   
Loki had no dreams but he did not sleep as stiffly as he usually did.   
When Tony woke the next morning, he had a nice pillow imprint on the side of his face.   
Loki got up went to make breakfast for them.  
Tony stretched on the bed when he felt Loki get up and yawned loudly. That was probably one of the best nights he’d ever had. He got up and dressed then wandered out into the kitchen.   
“How do you wake up that refreshed all the time?” He looked at Loki and shook his head, Tony’s hair still a mess.   
"It’s my magic. It gives me energy."  
“That’s cheating.” Tony started making some coffee.  
"That’s life." He smiled.   
Tony rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee, sighing at its warmth.   
“That’s much better.”  
Loki put his finger to the mug and it was suddenly frozen coffee.   
Tony’s eyes widened and he pouted sadly, turning the cup over.   
“You jerk, don’t mess with my coffee!”   
"You'll survive." he chuckled.   
“Not without my coffee I won’t.” Tony grumbled and knocked the frozen coffee out of his mug to serve himself some more. “Leave my coffee alone.” He quickly scooted away from Loki.  
"So touchy, it’s only coffee." Loki said. He placed Tony’s food in front of him.  
Tony gasped and gently caressed the cup in his hand.   
“He didn’t mean that.” He kissed the mug then smiled playfully at Loki.  
Loki called Tony’s the Asgardian equivalent of a crack head under his breath.  
Tony looked at Loki and frowned curiously.   
“What did you say?”  
"Nothing." Loki replied.


	113. Chapter 113

Tony’s eyes narrowed skeptically but he didn’t question the god. Instead he sipped his coffee slowly.   
“Jarvis.”  
“I do not think you want to know what he said Sir.”  
"Thank you Jarvis."  
“Of course Mr. Laufeyson.”  
“You’re supposed to be on my side Jarvis!”  
"Well today he is on mine." Loki grinned.   
“Wha-I made him!” Tony huffed and finished his coffee.”  
Loki grinned.   
"Jarvis is wonderful."  
“Yeah he really is.” Tony sighed.   
Loki went over and kissed his cheek. "Come off it."  
Tony blinked and looked at Loki, trying not to smile at the kiss. “Don’t tell me what to do.”  
"You enjoy it.” Loki laughed.   
Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes, not daring to admit it out loud.   
Loki left him to finish breakfast and dish it out.  
Tony finished off his coffee and licked his lips. “That was good.”   
“Sir, you have a call from Director Fury.”  
Tony huffed and picked up his phone. “Really cute sending Romanov over by the way.”   
Loki watched him as he talked, only being able to hear one side.  
“It wouldn’t have mattered if I told her or not. You’re always throwing yourself at Loki like a damned fool anyway.”  
“So you decided to just go ahead and tell her? How many other people know?”  
"The entire team knows Stark."  
Tony was about to speak again when a particularly loud thunder crack sounded. Tony blanched and looked to the windows.   
“Oh shit.”  
“Anthony Stark!”  
"What’s that?" Loki asked.   
“I think it’s your brother.” Tony flinched as Thor stormed in, his eyes fixed on the inventor.   
“Anthony Stark!”  
“Whatever it is, I didn’t do it!”  
“What have you done to my brother?” Thor lunged at Tony, who let out the most undignified shriek and took off.   
“Stay away from me!”  
With his magic now back to him, Loki put a barrier up between Tony and himself and Thor.  
"Brother remove this seal." Thor ordered.  
"No."  
Tony sighed relieved and looked at Thor.   
“Thor, listen…”  
“I will not! You are taking advantage of my brother!”  
“Thor, I swear I’m not! This is something we both wanted, okay?”  
"I wanted him just as must as he wanted me." Loki said. "I can make my own choices and whom I choose to bed is my business."  
Thor looked at his brother then frowned at Tony. He knew his friend more than well enough, both from what he’d seen and what he’d heard. He knew Tony was a notorious flirt and didn’t want his brother getting hurt.   
“My brother is not a simple lay Anthony Stark.”  
“I know he isn’t Bug Guy and trust me, I wouldn’t have let him dangle me from the roof just to bang him.”  
"Oh now you want to concern yourself with my virtue. Bit late Thor, I have three children. Tell me, how is my son?" Loki asked. "I can take care of myself and what I do in my bed does not concern you in any way shape or form."  
Thor looked at his brother and clenched his jaw, averting his gaze ashamed. The sky calmed outside and Tony relaxed, looking at the two.   
“I did not take them from you Loki. Or did you think I enjoyed watching as Father tore Sleipnir from your arms? I have always worried for you and I will not excuse my wrongs. I know that I hurt you terribly but do not act as though I do not care for you.”  
"Oh please, you only decided to concern yourself with it when it finally pertained to you." Loki said. "If I remember correctly, you were the one holding me down, saying I would forget about him in time."  
“I would take back those words if I could, but I knew not how else to console you Loki!” Thor looked at his brother and wanted to hold him tight. He wanted to make everything right between them but he knew from the look in Loki’s eyes that it wouldn’t happen.   
“I never meant to hurt you Loki. I have done everything I could to make things right since you were brought here. You will not look at me, will not speak to me and yet you bury yourself in the past, acting as though it is I that will not listen to reason!”  
"No, I have listened and I will never trust you again. I’ve been second place to you for millennia and I’m done. I’ve bled for you, killed for you and you have done nothing but take. I learned not to stick my neck out for you any longer."  
“I never asked those things of you! I never put you in the shadows! I could never repay what you have done for me but I did not force your hand! And do not forget that I too have done much for you! You were to be put to death and I pleaded with father for days to let you live!” Thor swallowed thickly as he looked at his brother. “Why can you not accept that things are not as they were before? Why must you cling to the past?”  
"One act does not make it better. You let your feelings as a hero cloud your memories. How many times did I put the meat on the table at feast, or bring in meat for those in the village only for them to only thank you?"  
“Again you are looking only to the past. Only to the years before this! One act does not fix what I have done but it is the start and it is not one alone. I searched for you tirelessly when you fell from the Bifrost. I defended you before Father and the others. I have changed Loki.” Thor felt tears sting his eyes but he blinked them away. “You are the one that is not willing to accept this change for the better. You want to be stuck in your darkness and bitterness and pretend it is my fault you are still there!”  
"For the first time in years I am happy."  
Thor was quiet for a moment. He stared at Loki, at the little brother he had failed.   
“Then may you continue to be happy.” He looked down and headed back to the roof of the tower.   
Tony watched the blond god and he felt almost bad for the guy.   
Loki dropped the barrier and waited a few moments.   
"Send three suits to the roof for me Jarvis."  
"Shall do sir."  
"Thank you"  
Tony stayed where he was then ran his fingers through his hair.   
“Please don’t do it Sir.”  
“Do what?”  
“Whatever it is you are thinking of doing.”  
“I wasn’t going to do anything.” Tony looked outside. “I was just going to talk to Loki.”  
"Even that is unwise right now sir."  
Tony knew Jarvis was right but he didn’t want to leave things like this. He just wanted to make sure Loki was all right, though it was pretty obvious the god was far from okay.   
Tony headed up to the roof to talk to Loki. “You okay?”  
"For your benefit, I suggest you leave me be for a while." Loki said.  
Tony sighed and-against his better judgment-stayed on the roof.   
“Don’t you think it’s time you and your brother sat down to really talk about this stuff?”  
"Absolutely not." Loki replied. "I don’t ask you to talk about your father, you don’t ask me to talk about my children, was that not the agreement we had?"  
“I never said we couldn’t talk about my father. Look, I’m not trying to make things worse, I just want to help. He came here to apologize to you. I know that doesn’t fix what he did but it’s a start.”  
"You shouldn't meddle in affairs that were far before your time." Loki replied.  
"I must insist that you leave Sir." Jarvis said.  
“You were the one that told me you wished all of this could be fixed. That you wanted things to get better and now here’s the chance and you’re not taking it?” Tony didn’t pull away as Loki grabbed him by the shirt suddenly. His eyes widened as he looked at the god however; his skin was turning blue.   
“Loki.”  
"I don’t care for Thor, I want my children. Asgard be damned, I am a frost giant of Jotunheim!"  
Tony started to shake from the intense cold that radiated off of Loki. He stared at the god, afraid for once that perhaps he wouldn’t watch his strength. In all his life, Tony had never seen a sight like this. Loki’s eyes were blood red and his skin a deep blue, marked with scars.   
“I…” He tried to speak, but words failed the inventor. All he could do was stare at Loki in awe and fear.  
Loki let go of Tony as his skin reached his hands. "I told you I’m a monster." Loki disappeared from sight down to his room.  
Tony blinked as Loki vanished and scoffed, running his fingers through his hair frustrated.   
“I did warn you Sir.”  
“Shut the hell up.” Tony looked at the spot on his shirt where Loki had grabbed him; the frigid cold has eaten a hole through the fabric.  
"Had he touched your skin it would have killed the cells and blood vessels."  
Tony sighed and went back inside, stopping outside Loki’s room.  
“Loki open the door.” He gasped when a wall of ice suddenly covered it.  
"Go away." He called, "You deserve more than a monster."  
“Loki if you don’t open this door, I’m going to blast it open!” Tony shouted through the ice and waited, giving the god a moment. “One, two…”  
Loki didn’t move from where he sat in his room. He knew Stark was bluffing.   
Tony frowned and called up one of his suits. He took the gauntlet from it and pointed at the door.   
“Get away from the door Loki!” He charged the glove and stepped back.  
"Sir, if you do this you wouldn't be making it any better." Jarvis said.   
“What do you want me to do Jarvis? Let him sit in there and think I hate him because he turned blue?” Tony shouted loud enough so Loki could hear. “I know you can hear me in there!” He hit the ice on the door and scoffed. Why couldn’t he just keep his mouth shut? Tony stood outside the room then took off his gauntlet and threw it to the ground before going to his room.  
"Sir, I think it’s best if you let him stay to himself for a few hours, possibly days."  
“You never let me sulk like that.”  
“I can reason with you Sir.”  
Tony frowned and shook his head before falling onto his bed.   
"Sir, Mr. Laufeyson has suffered a great deal because of who he is."  
“Yeah, I know that Jarvis.” Tony snapped at the AI then got up and went down to his lab. Might as well kill a few hours, or days, doing something productive.   
“He doesn’t have to act like I’m going to do the same thing.”  
"But you saw what he did to your shirt, imagine what it would feel like on your skin."  
Tony looked at the hole in his shirt and shook his head.   
“He can do worse when he’s not blue.” Tony put on his gloves and goggles and got to work on one of his suits.   
"No Sir, because when he is in this state he cannot control it. He can control his magic when he is in an Aesir form."  
“Tell me when he’s done thinking he’s a monster.” Tony groused and got back to work.  
"It’s what he was raised to believe."  
Tony shook his head and kept working, trying to calm himself down. He wasn’t sure who he was more upset with, himself or Loki, though really this was his fault.


	114. Chapter 114

It was hours before Tony went back upstairs for more coffee. He filled a large mug and looked through his phone.   
“How’s the satellite?”  
“Doing well Sir.”  
“Good. We get anything on those Hydra bases yet?”  
Loki finally calmed down enough for the ice to melt but his skin had not changed back.  
Tony looked towards Loki’s room, debating whether or not he should go over and try to talk to the god again.  
"Don’t do it, Sir."  
Tony scoffed then looked at the bar. He went over and grabbed a few beers before going down to his lab again.   
Jarvis called Bruce to come talk to Tony.  
The beer bottles sat on one of Tony’s tables, like little guards watching the door. Tony was on the other side of the lab, making some adjustments to his suit.   
“No, get out of the way.” He frowned sternly at Dum-E.  
"Does Loki know you're drinking in the lab?" Bruce asked as he stepped in.  
Tony set down what he was doing and looked over at Bruce.   
“No, he’s busy thinking I hate him up in his room.” He gave a sarcastic smile. “And I’m not drunk. That was our deal.”   
"Why does he think you hate him?"  
Tony sighed.   
“Thor came over and they got into a fight. Then I…kind of made it worse and he turned blue. I don’t know what the big deal is.” Tony paused then looked at the hole in his shirt. “Well, I mean besides this.”  
“He turned blue? You mean you got to see his Jotun form?" Bruce asked. Ever since Thor had told them about it he had wanted to see it. "Jarvis, show me the footage from start to finish of Loki transforming." Bruce ordered.   
"Deleted, Dr. Banner." Jarvis answered.  
Tony looked at Bruce, arms crossed.   
“I’m letting him calm down in his room. Jarvis told me not to blast the door down and talk to him. You ask me, leaving him alone is the reason he’s like this in the first place.”  
"He has yet to turn back." Jarvis said.  
"I can’t believe you deleted the footage." Bruce sighed.  
“No offense, but it was an accident that he changed and I seriously doubt he wants anyone else to see it. He can’t handle that I saw it and we’re dating.”  
Bruce grumbled under breath.  
Tony chuckled dryly at his friend and shrugged.   
“Sucks to be you.”  
"Well you're not going to be getting any for a while."  
Tony shrugged.  
“I’m learning to live with it.” Tony sighed heavily then went upstairs with Bruce for some coffee. “I just don’t want him locked up in there.”  
"Let him come out on his own."  
Tony shook his head.   
“I can’t just leave him in there. That’s the same reason he got to where he is now, because everyone just let him sit there and suffer in silence.”  
"Like the same way you just want to sit around and drink." Bruce added.  
“Yeah, but nobody lets me sit around and drink cause they know it’s not good for me.” Tony looked at his friend then glanced away.   
"Now we don’t." Bruce said.  
“He can be upset as he wants, but he’s not allowed to do it like this.” Tony looked to Loki’s room at the puddle of water soaking into the floor from the ice.  
"What makes you think he'll talk to you let alone see you?"  
“Cause I’m not going to ask. He’s had enough time to be upset about Thor coming here. I’m not going to let him waste away over that.”  
"Maybe it’s not Thor he is upset about now, it’s that you saw him at his worst." Bruce said. "If I was dating someone and they suddenly saw him Hulk out, I wouldn’t want them to see me either." Bruce explained. "Before you say it isn’t the same thing, it is. The Hulk can hurt people just like Loki’s natural form can hurt someone without trying."  
“So what do you want me to do? Leave him alone so he can keep thinking he’s a monster and that we shouldn’t be together? We’re Avengers, Bruce. Every single day we run the risk of dying somehow and if the worst thing that happens is I get literal brain freeze from kissing Loki, I’d say that’s a good deal!”  
"Then you know what, go back to square one." He said.  
“What do you want me to do?” Tony was exasperated by this point. Did Bruce expect him to just leave Loki alone like this? To let him stew and think he was a monster that no one wanted?  
"Go back to square one. Give him his space and dance around each other like you did in the beginning."  
Tony looked at Bruce then away, clearly upset. He nodded, arms crossed over his chest.   
“I have a lot of work to do. Thanks for stopping by.” Tony walked past the man and headed back to his lab.  
When Bruce knew Tony was in the lab he went to Loki’s room.   
"Loki, I won’t tell you that you need to come out but you have to eat." He said.  
Tony stayed locked up his lab, restricting access to anyone else that might decide to drop by. He wasn’t in the mood to talk with anyone at that moment. How was he supposed to just let Loki go through this?   
Loki finally came out of his room to quickly grab something to eat and then right back to his room.  
Bruce sighed and shook his head at the sight. Square one.  
Tony worked late into the next morning, not leaving his lab for more than to get a drink. He had a bathroom down there anyway.  
Loki found himself waking up on the floor more than once over the course of the next three weeks.  
Tony would walk by Loki’s room and want to go in only to hear Bruce’s words in his head. He stopped himself and left some pudding for the god before going back to his lab with some coffee.   
The next time Loki came out, he left a thank you note in place of the pudding.   
Tony picked up the note when he went to leave another cup of pudding and smiled a bit to himself. He wrote on the back of the note and set it back before going to his lab again.  
Jarvis helped Loki avoid seeing Tony again.  
Tony was really getting sick of this. It had been almost a month since Thor and Loki’s spat and he still hadn’t even seen the god. How was this supposed to help? He sat in his lab, flicking at a piece of loose metal on one of his newest projects.  
“Sir, you promised you wouldn’t get drunk.”  
“Loki promised things too but I don’t see you getting on his case about it.” Tony snapped.   
"While that may be so he does not have a reactor in his chest that does not combine well with alcohol. He is eating you however skipped three meals. "  
“He’s also still locked up in his room!” Tony threw one of the bottles and ran a hand over his face.  
“Sir, you promised.”  
“And he promised he would be there with me! Where is he Jarvis? Huh?” Tony stood and threw everything off his table. He didn’t want this anymore. The distance between him and Loki. It was like they were back to the start, but they weren’t. He’d let the god see parts of himself that even Pepper didn’t know and now they were back to living in separate rooms like strangers.  
"Then perhaps it’s time to coax him out of his room." Jarvis replied.  
“Oh I’m allowed to go talk to him now? You’re not going to lock me in here and call Bruce to talk me out of it?” Tony scoffed.  
"I never said you couldn't talk to him, I merely stopped you because I knew you would go straight to asking him why he won’t come out around you. Reminding him of the promises he made, which won't make it better."  
Tony shook his head as he sat there.   
“I realize this is hard for you Sir, but Mr. Laufeyson does not need such treatment from you.”  
Tony took a deep breath then stood and ran his hands over his face.   
If only the poor AI was human he might be able to do better.  
Tony waited until he had sobered up a bit then went and washed off. He knew Loki hated the smell of alcohol on him and he didn’t want to mess this up. The inventor went over to Loki’s room and knocked on the door.  
“Loki?”  
"Yes?" Loki answered.   
“Do you want to watch a movie?” Tony hoped the god would say yes. He didn’t want to be alone so much anymore.   
"No, I’m sorry."  
Tony felt his stomach clench but he didn’t fight. He swallowed thickly and nodded.   
“I’ll be in the lab if you change your mind.” Tony stayed at the door for a moment then went back downstairs.   
“Sir.”  
“Mute.”  
Over the course of the last month, Loki had changed a number of times. Sometimes he would change and his skin will be blue but the scars with still remain. At others, the scars and the blue tint to his skin would be gone but his ability to freeze things simply by touching them was still there.  
Tony remained huddled up in his lab during the month. He didn’t do much other than work and try to coax Loki out of the room when he could. It was getting disheartening though that the god still refused to get out of the room.   
“Sir, might I suggest an additional energy store to the suit?”  
“On it. Hey, test out the other one for me.” Tony got a few things out and looked over the models for the energy package.   
Loki poked his head out of the room to take a look around to see if Tony was about.  
Tony had moved the coffee maker downstairs, and the decision had really turned him into a hermit. He left pudding cups outside of Loki’s room on the odd occasion when he went back upstairs, but it was becoming less frequent.   
“Go ahead and charge the capacitors, see if they can handle the charge.”  
“Charging now Sir.”  
Tony stepped back and picked up his coffee mug from the table, the faintest tremble in his hand.   
"Sir, might I recommend you have a proper meal and get some sleep." Jarvis said.  
“I will when I’m done working.” Tony pulled up another chart and some plans then looked at the energy storage as it finished charging.   
“What’s the maximum hold on it?”  
"Get some rest now or I will shut down the lab."  
“Then I’ll override you and remove your permissions to shut down the lab.” Tony wiped some sweat from his brow and looked his machine over.  
“Sir, I know you are upset, but you are not the one hurt here.”  
“Two months.” Tony set down the machine. “That’s how long it’s been since I saw him. And do you know the only thing he’s said to me in those two months: No, sorry. Those two words and nothing else.”  
"He is trying, Sir. This is not easy for anyone." Jarvis said.  
“I’m trying too Jarvis.” Tony shook his head then went back to work. He started welding the new energy storage into his suit then got it ready for testing.  
In the back, Dum-E was moving around and bumped into a pile of stuff causing it to fall over. One of the items in the pile was Tony's little black book of numbers and names.  
Tony growled out annoyed and took off his safety goggles, turning back to frown at the machine.   
“Seriously?” He stormed over and swatted the machine way, picking up the items that had fallen over.   
“No, you back off. Go sit in your corner.” Tony looked at the machine then noticed the book. He paused and picked it up, looking through the names.   
Loki picked up the glass of water, it didn’t freeze over right away but it still froze.


	115. Chapter 115

Tony looked through the names in the book slowly, though he couldn’t really put a face to them. They were just names and numbers, one night stands and temporary flings. He paused on one name in particular. He knew she was still single.   
Jarvis said nothing as he watched his creator make a bad decision.  
Tony picked up his phone and dialed in the number then stopped. He was dating Loki now, even though it certainly hadn’t felt that way these past two months. He should have known better than to try out a serious relationship. It didn’t work with Pepper and it clearly wasn’t going to work with Loki. Tony swallowed thickly then pressed send.  
The woman agreed to the meeting.  
Tony went upstairs to get ready and stopped outside Loki’s room.   
“I’m going out. You can stay in there if you want.” He didn’t wait for an answer. Tony went into his room and started stripping down for a shower.  
"Very well." He said.  
Tony showered and got dressed, feeling a heavy weight in his stomach the entire time. This was wrong. It felt so wrong but he wasn’t going to sit around waiting for Loki. It had been a mistake to ask the god for something like this when it was obvious neither was ready. Tony brushed back his hair then went to the door.  
Loki ventured from his room while Stark was gone. He didn't know the details of it and wasn't going to ask.  
Tony drove out to meet his date at her place. He picked her up and they went to a restaurant for some dinner.   
“I haven’t heard from you in ages Tony. I almost thought you didn’t like me anymore.” The woman smiled playfully and Tony chuckled.   
“How am I going to forget you?”  
"We can go back to your place and I'll make sure you never forget me again."  
Tony chuckled at the woman and shrugged.   
“Is that a promise?” He sipped his drink.  
"Of course it is."  
Tony paid for their meal then drove back to the tower with his night guest. He felt the weight in his stomach again but ignored it.   
They arrived back and Tony smiled as the woman looped her arm with his.  
Loki had been in the kitchen when he heard the elevator. Before the doors opened, he turned off the lights and hid under the counter, out of sight, out of mind.  
The woman was giggling as she walked in with Tony, holding her heels in one hand.   
“Not as comfortable as they look huh?”  
“Well, you try them and see how well you walk.” She giggled and kissed Tony’s cheek.   
Tony laughed a bit and shrugged.   
“I’m not a big fan of heels.”  
"Come on, let’s go down to your lab like we used to. Have a bit of fun." she smiled.  
Tony smiled playfully and started heading down with her.   
“I have to warn you, it’s a mess down there.”  
"When is it not a mess?" she asked.  
“Guess you’re right.” Tony smiled and put his hands on the woman’s hips. It felt so different holding someone else after being with Loki. He kissed her but her lips felt odd on his own.  
Loki felt an anger rise in him at this. He waited a few minutes before shifting his form into a large black wolf with green eyes. Stalking down to the lab, he quietly slipped in. Growling, he looked at him with her.   
"What's that sound?" the woman asked.  
Tony paused and frowned curiously.   
“I don’t know.” He looked around in the lab but didn’t see anything in the shadows. “Jarvis.”  
From the shadows the large wolf came out of hiding his teeth bared and muzzle wrinkled in a snarl.  
The woman’s eyes widened and she hid behind Tony.   
“Tony!”  
“Oh my God.” Tony stared at the wolf terrified. He put his arm out to keep the woman safe.   
In a rough almost growling sound, the wolf talked. "Get away from him."  
The woman screamed and ran off, shrieking and trying to get her phone out of her purse.   
Tony gulped and looked at the wolf.   
“So this is what takes to get you out of that room huh?” Tony felt his entire body shake, because while he liked to think Loki wouldn’t kill him, that didn’t guarantee the god wouldn’t hurt him at all.  
"I never said I wouldn't come back." He growled.  
“Oh right, I forgot about the part in this relationship where we completely ignore each other.” Tony clenched his jaw as he looked at the god turned wolf. “I can’t live like this, all right? And I’m not going to try living with someone that wants to stay locked up all the time. I can’t handle two weeks without you so what the fuck am I supposed to do when you go back home?”  
Loki shifted so he was in his Aesir form once more.  
"I could kill you, with one touch. I love you and don't want to hurt you. I don't want to be any more of a monster than I already am. I saw the look of fear in your eyes when you saw me."  
“My boyfriend turns blue in front of me and you think I’m not going to be surprised?” Tony looked at Loki and shook his head. “When did I ever call you a monster, huh? When did I push you away or tell you to stay away from me because I was scared? My reactor is killing me Loki. The little metal pieces in my heart are killing me. Fuck, if I piss of Bruce he could kill me!”  
"And in that list I do not want to be one of the things that will kill you. I stayed locked up because I was trying to come to terms with this. Trying to control it so that I could maybe touch you again and not freeze your heart."  
“So you just ignore me completely? We couldn’t even talk? No, that’s not how this works. You’re not allowed to sit there and ignore me when you’re the only reason I haven’t killed myself yet!” Tony shouted at Loki then looked away, his hands shaking slightly. “I changed everything in my life around for you. And I can’t handle not having you there.” Tony looked back at the god. “I can find a way to get around the freezing but I can’t…” He paused a moment. “I can’t find a way around not having you.”  
"Are you not hearing me? I can control it now."  
“Oh good. I’m glad it only took two months of being ignored.” Tony smiled sarcastically. “You promised me you wouldn’t do this, we both did. I stop drinking and you stop hiding.” Tony ran his fingers through his hair and suddenly felt the long overdue caffeine crash from the past two months. He sat down as his energy left him. “Hey, I guess it’s okay now though, right?”  
"Well you went right back to the bottle, skipping meals, up for days at a time." Loki said.  
“You went back to hiding out in the room and thinking I didn’t want you, so I think this makes us even.” Tony snapped at the god.   
Loki frowned at him. "Then go to bed. You're getting back on track."  
Tony looked at the god unimpressed then stood and went upstairs. He took off his jacket and tie, tossing them to the ground.   
Loki watched him. "How long are you going to be angry with me?  
“Long time, probably.” Tony pulled on a t-shirt and some sweats then grabbed Loki and pulled him onto the bed.   
Loki let go of a cry of surprise as he was pulled down into bed. Wiggling a bit, he moved so there were a few inches between them.  
Tony curled up on the bed but left the space between them. He looked at Loki through the darkness then closed his eyes and tried to sleep.  
"Good night Anthony."  
“Night.” Tony grunted in response, his body exhausted. The hours he’d spent awake were really catching up to him now.   
Loki watched him sleep for a bit before falling asleep himself.  
The next morning, Tony had his arms and legs wrapped around the god. He was muttering in his sleep, brows furrowed.  
Loki moved away from Tony so he could go get breakfast started for them.  
Tony groaned and jolted awake sometime later. He looked around the room confused and brushed his hair back out of his face.   
“What happened?”  
“Mr. Laufeyson slept with you last night Sir.”  
"He is currently in the kitchen making waffles for breakfast." he said.  
Tony nodded slowly, not sure just how much of last night was real and how much he’d dreamed up. He got out of the bed and slowly made his way over to the kitchen.  
"Sir, please try not to grow angry, it will only make things worse."  
Tony pursed his lips as he walked into the kitchen. He looked over at Loki then went to his coffee maker only to realize it wasn’t there. He frowned curiously then remembered he’d moved it downstairs.   
“I’m sorry about last night.” He said to the god after a moment.  
"Don't, you had every right to be angry." He said.  
“I’m not talking about the getting mad and shouting part, I’m talking about the part where I almost cheated on you.” Tony looked at the god then away, ashamed. “You didn’t deserve that.”  
"I'll forgive you but if you ever do it again you will regret it."  
“I regret it already.” Tony put a hand to his chest and made a face. “And all that stuff I drank.”  
“I did warn you Sir.”  
“Yeah thanks Jarvis.” Tony shook his head and reached into the fridge for one of his drinks.  
"You won’t even listen to him."  
Tony glanced towards Loki then pulled out his drink. He took a large gulp of it then leaned against the counter.   
“I listen sometimes.”  
"I have waffles for breakfast." Loki added holding up the large stack of them.  
Tony looked at the food then grabbed a plate and sat down to eat. He felt quite sick that morning, though it was because of all the toxins that had built up in his system. He was really regretting having drank so much.  
“They smell good.”  
Loki gave him two of the six he'd made for them.  
Tony ate quietly, though he kept looking over at Loki. He wanted to say so much, but he decided maybe it was time to listen to Jarvis and just let Loki settle into all of this. He pursed his lips a bit and took another drink of his smoothie.  
Loki ate all four waffles without meaning to do so along with a bit of fruit.  
Tony blinked curiously as he watched the god.   
“Did you eat during these past two months or did you survive off the pudding I left outside your room?”  
"I ate." Loki replied. "I kind of just started eating and then didn’t stop until I finished everything."  
“That sounds like you. Just don’t make yourself sick again.”  
"I'm not going to make myself sick." He said. There had been a point in Loki's childhood when he would do nothing but eat.  
“I don’t know, you got yourself sick twice when you first got here.”  
"Yes and when I first got here I was having my first meal in three weeks."  
“Guess that’s true.” Tony shrugged and finished his drink. He was quiet again for a moment before speaking. “You’re not going to keep hiding from me, are you?”  
"No." he replied.  
Tony nodded, fidgeting with his hands a bit.   
“So can we watch a movie now?”  
Loki nodded. "Yes."  
“Alright then.” Tony stood and started making some popcorn.  
Loki picked the movie for them this time.  
Tony went over to the couch with the popcorn and sat close to Loki.   
"I put on a comedy special." Loki said.  
Tony nodded and handed Loki one of the bowls of popcorn.   
“Blue looks good on you.” He said after a moment then stuffed some popcorn into his mouth.


	116. Chapter 116

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are now all caught up to all the back chapters that were waiting. From here on out chapters will be posted Sunday and Wednesday every week.

"I prefer it if we don’t bring it up at all."  
Tony looked away from the god and nodded. “Alright.”  
Quietly, Loki turned his sights back to the movie. "Where is Hawaii?" Loki asked.  
Tony looked at the god then took his phone out. He pulled up a world map and showed it to the god.  
“Right there.”  
Loki nodded. "What's it like?"  
“It’s actually pretty nice. It’s small, so there aren’t many big cities there. It’s quiet and there’s nothing but beaches all around.”  
"Sounds like it's hot." Loki said.  
Tony smiled a bit and shrugged. “Yeah, it’s pretty hot there, especially during the summer.”  
"I honestly don't like the heat." Loki replied.  
Tony wanted to crack a joke but decided against it. “I could take you to Canada. It’s cold there.”  
"It's not so much that I have to go cold places but overly hot places are out of the question. Asgard is the same temperature in the spring and summer the flowers are always in bloom there. The fall and winter come and it is cold enough to snow once in a while."  
“Guess we could stay here. Doesn’t get very hot in New York.” Tony shrugged. “So you don’t want to go back to Malibu?”  
"No, I do." Loki replied. "That I could handle but we were never going very far anyway."  
“Maybe we could go again soon. You know, when we don’t have anymore…”  
“Sir.”  
Tony groaned and sank into the couch.  
“Director Fury is calling.”  
“Of course he is.”  
Loki was about to ask him when they didn't have any more of what but fell silent so Tony could take the call.  
Tony stood and answered his phone. “Tell me this is a social call.”  
“Suit up.’’  
Tony sighed and hung up then looked at Loki. “Better get dressed.”  
Loki sighed and was suddenly in his armor. Running his fingers through his hair, Loki squared himself off and looked like his usual self.  
Tony looked the god over then went to get his suit. Damn if that wasn’t the sexiest thing he’d seen just now.  
Loki was a master of masks. He hid his emotions very well from the people he didn’t want to see he cared.  
Tony walked out onto the landing pad and looked back at the god.  
“Need a ride?”  
"Of course not." Loki waved and then was gone from sight.  
Tony took off as well, heading straight for SHIELD.  
He arrived soon enough and headed to the debriefing room.  
Loki was standing in the corner, listening as best he could.  
“It seems our satellite picked up some interesting images.” Fury pulled up the footage they had.  
"Of what?" Loki asked coming out of the corner.  
Both Clint and Natasha turned to the god, and both assassins looked more upset than usual that he was there. They then glared at Tony, though he was really used to it.  
“Originally we thought it was movement of Hydra operations, but upon further investigation, these movements turned out to be from an independent group.” Fury pulled up more information. “They call themselves Maggia.”  
“Wait, I’ve heard about these guys.” Steve frowned curiously.  
“We’ve dealt with them on a number of occasions, but they’re not like Hydra. They’re a bit more on the dirty dealing side than actual terrorism.”  
"What makes them so different from Hydra?" Loki asked.  
“Hydra is an active terrorist organization. Maggia is just a gang.”  
“Pretty big scale though. What did they do to get on our radar?”  
“These shipments have been going on for almost three weeks now that we know. Since the satellite went up, we’ve recorded movement across American borders and even overseas.”  
“Any idea what they’re moving?”  
Fury shook his head. “Not yet.”  
"What's the likely hood that they are moving something other worldly?" Loki asked.  
“That’s my main concern. Maggia doesn’t usually delve into that, but there are odd energy signatures coming off their latest shipments.”  
“Weird how?”  
“Like they have something big in those containers.”  
"If this is something from another realm, I’m pretty sure you'll know how to handle it." Fury said looking at Loki.  
“He can handle Stark pretty well.” Clint spoke, glaring at the god.  
“Save it for after the missions.” Fury frowned at all of them. “Stark’s stupid decision aside, this could be a real threat.”  
“So what do we do?”  
“We need to secure their latest shipment, find out what it is and where it’s going.”  
Without a single word or a twitch, Loki conjured a snake inside of Clint's suit.  
The archer jumped up and quickly fished the creature out.  
“Why the hell is he still alive?” Clint turned to Fury after shooting the head off the snake.  
“He’s alive because I can’t kill him myself. That was the deal I made with Thor.”  
Tony frowned at both men.  
“He wouldn’t have done that if you knew how to keep your mouth shut.”  
“Shut up Stark. Just because Loki’s wearing you as a ring doesn’t mean the rest of us are falling for it.” Natasha frowned at the inventor.  
"I'm not wearing anyone as anything. Although if you so wish, you can be my next cloak." Loki threatened.  
"Alright everyone knock it off. Laufeyson is here and that’s the end of it. You," Fury pointed to Loki, "You are not part of this team but you will keep those tricks to yourself." Fury said.  
Everyone went silent, though the tension in the air was thick and heavy to breathe. Tony shifted a bit where he sat, casting a quick glance at Loki before looking back to Fury.  
“So, all of us go after this shipment?”  
“I don’t want any surprises, but we’ll need to be ready in case this is something toxic. Specialized suits have been made up for each of you. Stark, I’m assuming your suit can handle it.”  
Tony rolled his eyes, almost insulted.  
Loki scoffed. "I'll be fine on my own." Loki told him.  
“I didn’t ask, did I?” Fury gave Loki a testy look. “This isn’t about how well one person can do missions alone, this is about making sure you can all play nice together.”  
"I didn't mean working with everyone else. I meant wearing the suits you made for everyone." Loki said.  
“You can wear whatever the hell you want Laufeyson.” Fury looked at the god then back at the others. “The rest of you go get your suits on and we’ll finish the brief.”  
Tony watched the others go then stood and walked over to Loki.  
“Might be best to avoid sticking snakes in Barton’s pants during the debriefing.”  
"Would you prefer I give him flying lessons?" Loki asked.  
Tony snorted and grinned. “I wouldn’t mind but we can save that for later.”  
Rolling his eyes, Loki was already cooking something up for the archer.  
"He'll get his."  
“Can I watch?” Tony glanced over as everyone walked back into the room, all suited up and ready.  
"Wouldn't be a show if you didn't." Loki chuckled.  
Tony smiled back then looked at Fury. “So how do we do this?”  
“I want you and Laufeyson in charge of securing the cargo. The rest of you are on information gathering and security detail.”  
Loki knew he would get stuck moving stuff. Of course he could use his magic to move it.  
The team loaded onto a jet and got ready to fly over to the location. Thankfully, they were in the states this time.  
“Their next shipment is coming into Florida in a few hours. You’re to intercept and capture; I don’t want any deaths if we can avoid it.”  
Loki chuckled. There would be a death or two somewhere along the mission. His eyes were on the red head and her archer companion.  
Natasha looked back with equal ferocity, her posture stern and ready for action.  
Clint didn’t bother hiding his discontent as he glared at the god and then, at one point during the trip, at Tony.  
Loki could care less about their glares and thought back to the mission at hand.  
Tony looked at the two and winked at them, hoping to unnerve Clint. It worked; the archer looked away with a frown.  
Loki chuckled as he gave Stark a smirk and then turned to his attention to the nearing target.  
Tony smiled to himself, quite pleased with the reactions and flipped on his visor as they got closer.  
“Alright, we’re over the target. I want everyone to stay close in case this gets ugly.”  
They agreed to the idea going in pairs but still staying fairly close.  
Natasha and Clint paired together to go for the intel while Steve and the Hulk were in charge of heavy security. That left Tony and Loki to actually go after the cargo.  
They arrived just off the docks and quickly got into position.  
“Let’s just hope this isn’t radioactive.”  
"One can only hope." Loki opened a portal that would put the crates at SHIELD headquarters.  
Tony went up to the ship with Loki. They slipped by the guards easily enough; seemed no one knew what the cargo was. The inventor wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing.  
Steve and the Hulk cleared up the rest of the guards easily enough and Natasha and Clint headed up to where the captain was.  
"Let’s make this as easy as possible." Loki told him.  
Tony chuckled a bit and shook his head.  
“Now just say that to the bad guys.” He looked around then found a few containers. He scanned each, finding only weapons at first. He paused at the last container, which was much smaller than the others.  
“Well, it isn’t radioactive, but this still isn’t good.”  
"What is it?" Loki asked him.  
“I’m not an expert but it looks an awful lot like those Chitauri weapon’s cores.” Tony ran more scans on the box then looked at Loki. “I don’t want to risk opening it here.”  
"Don't send it to SHIELD and tell no one what's in them." Loki said.  
Tony looked at the god curiously and flipped up his visor.  
“Loki, we have to turn this stuff over to Fury.”  
"No, it should be destroyed. SHIELD shouldn't have it any more than the Chitauri." Loki had been told they were dead but a long nagging feeling in his gut told him otherwise.  
Tony looked at Loki for a moment then sighed heavily and nodded.  
“Stark, you two find anything yet?” Fury’s voice sounded through the communicator.  
“It’s just guns and other weapons in here.”  
"Well get it over here." Fury ordered.


	117. Chapter 117

“We’re sending it your way.” Tony cast one final glance at Loki then cut the call. “You handle that, I’ll get the rest of this crap.” Tony went over to one of the crates then groaned as he was shot. He gasped, recognizing the feel of that shot.   
Two guards approached, both wielding Chitauri weapons. The second shot at Loki, trying to take the god down.   
Tony twisted back and blasted at the first guard before ducking behind one of the crates.   
“Sir, there has been damage to the suit.”   
“Yeah, I noticed.” Tony charged his blaster then fired again.  
With a wave of his hand, the god sent the guards flying back, making them hit the wall.  
"We've got company and there is no telling how many more are on the way." Loki said, using his comm to alert the team.  
“On it.” Steve and the Hulk, being closest, quickly made their way to Tony and Loki.   
The Hulk easily smashed through the wall and charged at the other guards then stormed into the room.   
Steve fought back the others that the Hulk missed, looking at his teammates.   
“You two all right?”  
“Watch out for their guns!” Tony warned then groaned. “Jarvis, what’s the damage?”  
“The shot got through your armor Sir, you need to get medical attention.”  
“Right, right.”  
Loki was worrying about getting the crates through the portal so they could go to SHIELD.  
Steve and the Hulk held off the guards easily enough; it seemed the rest of them had regular guns.   
Tony blasted back a few before pushing himself up onto his feet. He headed out of the room.   
“How bad?”  
“I cannot tell from here Sir.”  
“Stark!” Clint had been heading down the hall and saw Tony. He rushed over. “What’s wrong?”  
“I got hit.”  
Just as Loki finished with the last crate full of guns from the Chitauri, Natasha came down to join the others.  
She took out the last of the guards and made sure they were in the clear.   
“We’ve got the guards and the cargo Sir.” Natasha spoke into her earpiece.   
“Good. Anything in those crates?”  
“Not that I can tell.”   
Steve watched over the guards they’d taken out then looked towards the door before seeing some blood on the floor.   
“Whose is that?”  
“Can you fly back?”  
“If I’m careful.” Tony had taken off his visor, trying to gulp down clean air.  
Loki came back over to them.   
"The crates have been taken care of. They're at SHIELD right now." Loki said. A familiar scent filled Loki's nose and it was only then that he realize Tony was hit.  
Steve nodded at the god and looked at Bruce, who had finally shrunk down.   
“Guys, Tony got hit.” Clint leaned into the room and looked at them. “We have to get him back to SHIELD.”  
“Can’t he fly?” Steve walked towards the man.  
“I don’t trust him to, I think he’s bleeding out into his suit.”  
Tony groaned as he sat against the wall. “I’m fine!”  
Loki dropped down in front of him.  
"Jarvis where is he bleeding out from, I need to know now." Loki said. "Anthony look at me." Loki made Tony look him in the eyes. "It will be alright." He said.  
Jarvis told him where Tony was bleeding out from. Digging his fingers under a plate of the suit, he tore it away with ease. The healing wouldn't save his life but it would help stall for time until he could see someone.  
"Take him quickly." Loki said backing up from his lover.  
Tony groaned out in pain as he was moved and looked at Loki, a look of fear in his eyes. “Don’t leave me.”   
The others picked him up as the jet landed closer to take Tony back.   
“Stark, quit struggling!” Steve tried to keep the man down as he picked up and moved.   
“I want Loki here!”  
“Stark we don’t have time for this!”   
Clint watched them take Tony then looked back at Loki. He frowned at the god and shook his head.   
“You better go before he has a fucking panic attack.”  
"The portal I opened out sent everything directly into SHIELD Headquarters. If you are all done then we are all free to go from this place." Loki left it at that and then went after the others and Tony.   
Tony struggled a bit still, though the blood loss was starting to make him dizzy. “I’m fine!”  
“Tranquilize him before he bleeds out in the jet.” One paramedic spoke up, shoving Tony back again. “Mr. Stark, you need to hold still!”  
“I need Loki!” He shouted and tried getting free again. He didn’t want to be alone.   
"I'm right here." Loki's cool voice told him. "I haven't gone anywhere." Loki took Tony's hand into his.  
Tony stopped and looked at the god, his breathing ragged. He relaxed and fell back onto the bed, smiling as the medication began to put him to sleep.   
“Hey…Reindeer Games…”  
The paramedics shook their heads and got back to treating the man.   
Once Tony was asleep, Loki stepped out of the way so the medics could fix him up good as new.  
Thankfully the wound proved to be less severe than everyone had originally thought. Tony was taken into SHIELD for a quick patch up and set in the medical ward to heal.   
During the debriefing, Loki stayed in the back and stayed silent. When they were free to go, Loki went to the med bay to wait for Tony to wake up.  
Tony was starting to come out of sleep when Loki walked into the room. The nurse looked over at the Norse god and jumped, going pale. She had been warned, however, that Loki was part of the team now, so she didn’t hit her panic button.   
“He’s sleeping.” She spoke shortly.   
“Hmm?” Tony looked around curiously.   
"Or not." Loki chuckled, going over to the bed. "We may need something to keep him under a bit longer, he’s stubborn and will try to push his luck." Loki informed her.  
The nurse pursed her lips at Loki then went to get some more medication.   
Tony watched her go and scoffed, adjusting the bed so he was sitting up.   
“What a grump.” He rasped then cleared his throat, looking up at Loki. “You stayed with me.” He smiled.  
"I stayed with you until you were asleep and just got back. Don't go trying to jump up; I sent the nurse for medication if you try it."   
Tony rolled his eyes, though he looked about ready to pass out again.   
“Whatever, I’m fine.”  
"Go to sleep, I'll be right here, I promise."  
Tony looked up at the god, trying to keep his eyes open. “You have to stay here with me, alright?”  
The nurse walked back to the room and stood near the door, watching the two curiously. This certainly wasn’t what she’d expected of Loki.   
"I said I wasn't going anywhere, but you have to rest, now stop fighting it."  
Tony grumbled but began to doze again. He was asleep soon enough and the nurse walked over, setting a vial next to the bed. She said nothing to Loki, but there was a curious look in her eyes.  
Loki sat back in the chair and watched him sleep.   
"Thank you." Loki told her.  
The nurse was clearly taken aback. She blinked curiously at Loki then nodded quickly.   
“You’re welcome. Press this if he needs anything.” She shuffled out of the room.   
Bruce stopped by soon enough to see his friend.   
“Still sleeping huh?”  
"He woke up for a little while but he's settled again." Loki replied.  
“At least they didn’t have to do any major surgery. Seems like everything was superficial.” Bruce looked at the sleeping man then ran a hand over his face. “Did you see what he got hit with?”  
"One of the weapons the Chitauri were using during the invasion." Loki replied.  
Bruce frowned confused. “Chitauri weapons? Did you tell Fury?”  
"No. I have the weapons and I'm going to destroy them. No one should have them, not even SHIELD." Loki replied.  
Bruce couldn’t help feeling a bit apprehensive at this. “You should turn them over to Fury Loki. I know you mean well but if he finds out, you’ll be in a hell of a lot of trouble.”  
"What is he going to do? I have earned my powers back, I am not his prisoner and he will not torture me. Gods have no masters."  
“He can still deem you an active threat if he thinks you took those weapons to use them. This really isn’t the time to try taking stuff like this into your own hands.”  
"I do what I want." Loki replied.   
“Loki,” Bruce sighed heavily and shook his head. “You can’t though, that’s the problem. You’re not completely off the hook and you know Fury is just waiting to…” He stopped as Tony began to wake. Best not get the inventor riled up.   
Tony grumbled and tried to sit up.   
With a soft hand to his chest, Loki pushed him back down. "Rest. If you don't I'll make them put you under."  
Tony frowned curiously at the god then smiled. “Oh hey. You’re here.”   
Bruce smiled a bit at the sight and shook his head.   
"So damned stubborn." Loki rolled his eyes.  
“Are you talking about yourself?” Tony smiled playfully. “My throat’s dry.”  
“Here.” Bruce handed him a large cup with water and ice.  
"Thank you, Doctor." Loki told him. Loki looked back at him. "Small sips."  
“Yeah.” Tony waved his hand and sipped slowly from the cup, enjoying the wetness on his throat.  
Loki rolled his eyes. When Tony had enough, he set it to the side.   
"How do you feel?"  
“Not half bad, all things considered.”  
“You weren’t hit as bad as we’d all thought, thankfully.” Bruce looked over at his friend as he spoke.   
“Bet you Barton was praying for worse.” Tony smiled.   
"He hates you but he doesn’t want you dead." Bruce replied.  
“That’s just what he wants us to think.” Tony grumbled a bit. “Either of you two talk to the doctor?”  
“They said you can go home in a couple hours. The wounds were mostly superficial, so you should be fine.”  
Loki looked up at Bruce.   
"And you will stay out of the lab tonight. Repairs can wait until tomorrow."  
Tony rolled his eyes but didn’t argue with the god. “Whatever you say.”  
Bruce smiled and shook his head at the sight.   
"I'll make sure Jarvis locks you out." He said.  
“You do realize I can just override him, right?” Tony looked at the god then adjusted the bed so he was sitting upright. “How’s my suit?”  
“In better shape than you are. You know you’re only so lucky Loki can’t reprogram Jarvis.”  
"I did reprogram him." Loki confessed.  
"What? How?" Bruce questioned.   
"It wasn’t hard." Loki relied.


	118. Chapter 118

Tony stared at the god open mouthed before speaking. “You reprogrammed my AI?”  
Loki nodded.   
"You didn’t notice that after a while he started to sound a bit more like me in his responses?"  
“I thought he was just being a smart ass!”  
"Nope." he smiled.   
"That is amazing." Bruce stated. "How much did Tony teach you about Jarvis?"  
"Not very."  
Tony scoffed and pouted as he sat on the bed. “Great, now I have to back and fix him!”  
Bruce smiled at the inventor.   
“Well what did you tell him?”  
Tony grumbled, not willing to admit he had often shown off to the god and shown him where Jarvis’s mainframe was.   
Loki chuckled. "I know a great deal." He said.   
"Clearly." Bruce stated.   
Tony shook his head then looked over as the nurse walked back in.   
“Mr. Stark, the doctor will be in momentarily to check on you, but it seems you will be going home soon.”  
“Good.”  
"Maybe you'll feel better when you reprogram him." Loki smiled.  
“As long as I get to go home today.”  
The doctor was in shortly after and did a quick check of Tony’s wound. It was healing well and the inventor was allowed to go back home.   
He walked into the tower and took a deep breath.  
“Miss me Jarvis?”  
“Of course Sir.”  
Loki was right behind him.   
"Come get settled and I'll fix you something to eat."  
“I’m not too hungry right now; my stomach feels weird.” Tony made a face and shook his head before getting some water. The doctor had told him he might feel a bit nauseous from all the medication.   
"Then go lay down for a bit and let your stomach settle." Loki replied. He'd fix him some toast later.  
Tony went over to his bedroom and crawled onto the bed. He’d missed his own bed so much. The beds in the SHIELD medical ward were oddly stiff. He sighed relaxed and curled up to the pillows.   
Loki stripped his own armor and showered before going to check on Tony.  
Tony had fallen asleep again, sprawled out on the bed without a care in the world.   
Shaking his head, Loki joined Tony on the bed.  
Tony felt a cool rush near him and immediately scooted closer to Loki.  
Still keeping his distance, Loki settled in for sleep.  
Tony slept soundly, only fidgeting every so often when the pain in his side began to bother him.  
Loki slept through the night, not minding as stark shifted this way and that.  
Tony eventually started mumbling his sleep, groaning as he moved about.   
Loki wrapped an arm around him, hoping the silence the man.  
Tony tensed for a moment then slowly relaxed in the embrace. His brow furrowed still and the mumbling got louder.   
“Help, help…”  
"I'm right here." Loki whispered back to him.  
The inventor quickly calmed at the sound of Loki’s voice. He mumbled quietly again, his body relaxing against the bed.   
Sighing softly, Loki curled up with him and slept on.  
Tony clung to Loki the rest of the night, grumbling every so often and twitching but well otherwise.   
Loki only held him through the night, whispering to him to calm him down.  
The muttering and tension soon stopped and Loki lapsed into a peaceful sleep, his arms still wrapped tight around Loki.  
"I need to breathe Stark." Loki grumbled.  
Tony twitched and blinked his eyes open, frowning as his mind settled and sorted what was going on.   
“What?”  
"Loosen your grip, I need to breathe.”  
“Oh, sorry.” Tony loosened his hold on the god then yawned. He stretched but immediately regretted the decision as a sharp pain shot through his side. “Ow, fuck!”  
"Easy. Just relax and wait here." Loki told him quickly getting up to get a pain killer.  
“Waiting.” Tony groaned, turning onto his other side to try and relieve the pain. This was going to get annoying very quickly.   
Loki came back with the pain killers and some water.  
Tony sat up as best he could to take the pills and chugged most of the water down quickly.   
“Thanks.”  
Setting them on his side of the bed, Loki climbed back in.  
Tony rested back against the pillows then leaned closer to the god.   
“Did I hold you the whole night?”  
"For a better part of it." Loki replied.  
“Sorry about that. Kept having some weird dreams.” Tony adjusted himself against the pillows, wincing a bit. He pulled his shirt up to check on the wound.  
Loki sighed.   
"That’s why you were holding me so tight."  
“I guess so. I’m sorry about that.” Tony ran his hands over his face, rubbing his eyes.   
"Are you hungry?"  
“A bit, yeah.” Tony stretched, more carefully this time.  
"Stay put." Loki told him.  
“I’m staying, I’m staying.”  
Loki returned with toast and fruit for him to eat as well as another one of his green shakes.  
Tony had adjusted himself comfortably on the bed and looked up when Loki walked in with food.  
“Smells good. No waffles?”  
"Not yet."  
“I was really craving your waffles.” Tony reached for the green drink first.  
"Maybe I'll be generous and make them later."  
“Oh, I like it when you’re generous.” Tony winked at the god playfully and finished his drink before reaching for the toast.   
"Don't get happy." Loki replied.  
“Well you’re here so that’s kind of hard.” Tony smiled wider, clearly proud of himself for that little comeback.  
"I can very quickly not be here."  
“Don’t do that.” Tony’s smile wilted as he looked at the god, and there was the faintest fear in the back of his eyes.  
"Don't take everything I say so seriously." Loki told him.  
“Well you’re a god and the last time I joked with a god I got hit by a magical hammer and then tossed out a window.” Tony shrugged. “I’ve learned to take you a little seriously.”  
"No one does really. They'll take Thor seriously but not me."   
“Thor’s the loud annoying type that doesn’t know his own strength. It’s the same as being scared of the Hulk. But you’re the quiet, smart type that knows how strong he is and how strong everyone else is. People should be scared of you.”  
"Well now they are." Loki replied. "They will never admit it but Barton and the Widow are scared of me. I can do things they can’t and I’m sneaky. I could kill both of them before the kill me."  
“Sounds kinda hot when you put it that way.” Tony spoke jokingly, but he knew it was true. Loki wasn’t one to be messed with and he was starting to see that firsthand.  
"I’m better than Thor. He lets his temper get in the way of things. I think about everything. I plan out every move I can make."  
Tony smiled a bit as Loki spoke.   
“Yeah, Thor doesn’t really strike me as the stop-and-think type.”  
"Because he never has." Loki answered. "He relies on brute strength."  
“The guy could learn a thing or two from you on asking questions first and smashing things later.”  
"It's how he's always been. Even as a child he used to get us into more trouble than I care to remember. He made me run away with him once."  
“Oh yeah? How did that work out?”  
"He got in trouble by the time the guards found us. We also had a wolf on our tail."  
“That must have been scary. How old were you?”  
"Four and Thor would have been six. Or I was five and Thor was six."  
Tony snorted and laughed.   
“Guess it’s hard to remember when you’re as old as you are, huh?”  
"For you it seems light years away. For me it was simply a childhood."  
“Crazy to think about it that way.” Tony smiled at the god and set aside his plate. “Thanks for this.”  
"You're welcome." He said. "Odin did not blame me nor did I get in trouble. Thor said if I didn’t go with him I wasn't a good brother. Odin said I should choose when to do the right thing and when to be a brother."  
“I wouldn’t know what that’s like. I never had siblings.” Tony shrugged.   
"Then you're lucky."  
“When you put it that way I guess I am.” Tony smiled at Loki then grabbed his phone.  
"What are you doing?" Loki asked, leaning in closer.  
“Just checking my messages. Pepper freaks out whenever I get hurt. Pretty sure she’s going to try and talk to Fury about getting me a desk job.”  
Loki chuckled at this.   
"Your desk work? Doesn’t suit you?"  
“I hate it. Can’t stand being stuck in a small office doing paperwork.”   
"It wouldn’t be small for you." he said.  
“I don’t like office spaces.” Tony shook his head a bit. “No matter how big you make it, it always feels small. I don’t know how Pepper does it.”  
"Because she does it for you." Loki replied.  
Tony smiled fondly.   
“Yeah, she spoils me. I’m lucky though; all the other secretaries I had didn’t do half what she does.”  
"Good for her then." Loki replied. "Well good for both of you."  
“Well not her so much. She’s been through a lot with me.” Tony sighed quietly. “Hey Jarvis, why don’t you send Pep a gift?”  
“Very well Sir.”  
"You send her random gifts as a thank you?"   
“I give her vacation time too. Just something small from me.” Tony smiled. “You want something too?”  
"No I don't." Loki replied. "Besides you already purchased a dress for me."  
Tony grinned wide and looked away from Loki.   
“So are you ever going to wear it for me again?”  
"Maybe one day." Loki replied. "I would like a different dress, perhaps mess with Barton."  
Tony laughed.   
“Did you see his face?”  
"No. Should I have?"  
“Yeah, it was hilarious.” Tony smiled.   
"Then all the more reason for me to be at the next one."  
“We’ve got a pretty big event coming up in the summer. Maybe you could go to that with me.” Tony smiled at the god.


	119. Chapter 119

"Gladly." Loki smiled. "I think something black would do well this time."  
“Oh yeah.” Tony looked the god over, imagining the dress on him.   
"Get your mind out of the gutter."  
“But the gutter is so fun.” Tony smiled at the god before giving him a wink.   
"We all know you think so."  
Tony leaned up then winced and curled back against the pillows.   
“Lean over here so I can kiss you.”  
Loki leaned over and kissed him. "Love you."  
Tony kissed back and smiled a bit. “Love you too.”  
“I hope I’m not interrupting.” Pepper gave a light knock on the door and smiled at the two, holding a few bags in her hands. “I brought something to eat.”  
Loki smiled. "Nothing important." He said. "I'll take the food and put it in the fridge. I just fed him."  
“And he actually ate?” Pepper handed the bags to Loki then went over to Tony. “What the hell happened?”  
“I got hit.”  
"I could never get you to eat and here he is, feeding you and making you stay in bed." Pepper chuckled. "You've got it bad."  
Tony rolled his eyes, the faintest blush on his cheeks.   
“Whatever. So what did you bring?”  
“Omelets and some salad.”  
Loki put everything away and decided to fix himself some tea while he waited for Pepper to finish talking with Stark.  
“Sounds kind of gross.”  
“It’s good for you Tony. Eat it or I’ll tell Loki.”  
“Oh so we use Loki as a threat now?”  
“If it works.”   
"It works very well, Ms. Potts." Jarvis replied.  
“See? He agrees.”  
“Jarvis, you’re not helping.” Tony looked up at the ceiling then back at Pepper. “I’m fine.”  
Loki shrugged a little. "Too bad."  
Tony frowned at the god but Pepper smiled.   
“You need to be careful Tony.”  
“I am careful.”  
"He actually is. 75% of the time." Loki replied.  
“Seventy five won’t be good enough if you’re dead Tony.”  
“I’m not dead Pep. I’m alive and kicking.”  
"The 25 perfect is when he's in the lab Ms. Potts." Loki informed her.  
“Oh and he’s so much safer in there.”  
“Pep,” Tony took the woman’s hand and smiled. “I’m fine. Loki kept me alive.”   
The redhead pursed her lips, her eyes still full of worry.  
Loki stayed in his corner and drank his tea.  
Tony smiled at Pepper and stroked her hand gently.   
“I’ll be fine.”  
She took a deep breath but nodded then looked at Loki.  
“You better keep him alive.”  
"I'll do my best." Loki nodded before taking another sip of his tea.  
Pepper nodded then stood.   
“I have to get back to the office. I don’t want you doing anything stupid.”  
“Cross my heart and hope to die.”   
"I'll make sure to keep him out of trouble." Loki said.  
“Thanks.” She smiled at Loki then left.   
Tony watched her go then looked at Loki.   
“She likes you.”  
Loki grinned at him. "I figured as much."  
Tony smiled at the god then stood and stretched, mindful of his side.   
"Get back in bed." Loki told him. "You really shouldn’t be up and about."  
“I’ll be fine. I just need to stretch my legs a little bit.” Tony flexed his arms and walked a bit.   
"Fine then you don't leave this room." Loki informed him.  
“Are you serious?” Tony looked at the god then scoffed. “Fine.”  
"I will confine you to the bed again if need be and the spell needed is not a hard one." Loki said.  
Tony grumbled and went back to the bed.   
“Why don’t you stay in bed with me then?”  
"Jarvis put on a movie for us please." Loki said.  
“Of course Sir.” The AI pulled up a screen. “Which movie will you be watching?”  
Tony got comfortable on the bed.   
"Put on Interview with the Vampire. I've yet to see it."  
Jarvis put the movie on and Tony whined quietly.  
“Why do you like such weird movies?”  
"Because I read the book and finished it."  
Tony sighed but didn’t argue. If this was what it took to keep Loki in the room, he’d put up with it.   
Jarvis started the movie for them and Loki watched the film intently.  
Tony tried to pay attention but ended up picking up his phone a few minutes into the movie.   
"You could at least watch it." Loki said.  
“I’m trying but this movie is weird on so many levels.” Tony ran a hand over his face and groaned.   
Loki rolled his eyes. “Never mind then." He said.  
Tony looked at the god and felt a bit guilty. He just couldn’t get into the movie, it wasn’t his kind of thing really.  
Turning his attention back to the film, Loki watched it to the end.  
Tony tried his best to pay attention, but ended up falling asleep before the end of the movie.  
When the movie ended, Loki got up and got himself something to eat.  
Tony woke when he felt Loki leave and yawned loudly.   
The god came back with a plate full of food.  
“Oh, is any of that for me?” Tony grinned.   
"It wasn't but I suppose I can share."   
Tony pouted then stood.   
“Nah, I’ll go get whatever Pepper brought over.”  
"This is what she brought over." Loki chuckled.  
“Oh. Is that it?” Tony went back over and sat on the bed. “I thought there would be more food.”  
"Well she brought omelets and salad, I figured you want the omelets over the salad."  
“You know me so well.” Tony smiled.   
"Paying attention to detail is a good thing."  
Tony smiled and picked a piece of the omelet.   
“Well then I’m glad you’re paying attention.”  
Loki nodded.   
"You'll notice a lot when you pay attention to things. People think I'm quiet because I'm anti-social. Not entirely true. I'm not that social because I don't like the rowdiness of it all. But I do know things that others don’t."  
“You know, I’m starting to notice that about you.” Tony smiled. “Makes me wonder why you settled for me.”  
"I'm not settling when it comes to you." he said.  
Tony grinned just a bit wider.  
“That sounds sweet. Are you being sweet?”  
"Leave it be." Loki smiled.  
Tony looked at the god curiously.   
“So that wasn’t sweet?” He pouted and sat back to eat his omelet.   
"It was but I'm not going to tell you that." he said. What the hell was happening to him?  
Tony raised a curious brow at the god and gave a playful smile.   
“So you’re not going to tell me you’re being sweet?”  
"No, I'm not going to tell you that I'm being sweet."  
Tony laughed and shook his head then leaned close and gave the god a kiss.   
“Alright, no sweetness.”  
Loki leaned his head against Tony's shoulder.   
Tony rested his head against Loki’s, happy with the little moment they were sharing.   
"I don't do sweet things. I do things like cooking and helping because I want too."  
“Which is sweet. Nobody is sweet with me Reindeer Games.” Tony looked at the god.   
He chuckled at him.   
"Then as long as you don’t say it, I'm being sweet with you."  
Tony waggled his brows at the god and smiled back.   
“Alright, it’s our little secret.”  
Loki kissed his cheek.   
"Thank you."  
Tony grinned happily and shook his head.   
Later that evening, Tony got up again to stretch his legs. He wasn’t exactly liking being stuck in his room, but every time he tried to leave Loki would just use magic to force him back.   
Loki knew that every time Tony tried to leave the room, it was so he could make his way off to the lab.  
“Hey Loki, what are you making?” A screen popped up in the kitchen and Tony’s face appeared. He grinned at the god and gave a little wave from where he sat on the bed.   
"You'll see when it's done."  
Tony pouted then smiled again.   
“Alright, I’ll just watch then.”  
"So nosy." Loki sighed.  
Tony laughed and shrugged, watching as Loki cooked.   
“I should buy you an apron.”  
"No, you shouldn't." Loki said.  
“I really should. It’ll say ‘kneel for the chef’ on the front.” Tony grinned.   
"I know you would kneel for me." Loki smiled.  
“I’ll kneel anytime you want.” Tony winked at the god.  
"Then maybe I still have a chance of taking over the world." Loki grinned.  
“Well if I were in charge yeah. Sadly, I’m not the one you need to see about that.” Tony smiled. “I can get you an island though.”  
"I don't need an island and I don't want the world, I just want you." Loki smiled.  
Tony smiled wide and looked away, feeling sheepish.   
“Are you flirting with me?”  
"Maybe." Loki grinned. "Now go away and let me finish cooking up dinner. You're a detraction and unless you want this to end up botched, I suggest leaving me be."  
Tony rolled his eyes and the screen folded away again. The inventor huffed as he sat in his room before grabbing his phone.   
When Loki came back, he had a neat square on two plates and broccoli.   
Tony looked up when he smelled food and set his phone to the side.   
“What did you make?”  
"Chicken cordon bleu casserole."  
“Oh, what’s the occasion?” Tony asked with a little smile.  
"Found the recipe and I wanted to try it."  
Tony tasted the food and hummed in his throat.  
“This is amazing.”  
Loki grinned.


	120. Chapter 120

"Thank you."  
“Maybe next time you try taking over the world, bribe everybody with your cooking first.”   
Loki chuckled. "No one would eat my cooking. They would think I've poisoned it. Save for the doctor."  
“They don’t know what they’re missing.” Tony took a few more bites and licked his lips.   
Loki shook his head fondly.   
"Sir, Doctor Banner is here. Shall I let him up?" Jarvis asked.  
“Yeah, go ahead.” Tony sat up on the bed.  
It only took Bruce a few minutes to come upstairs and find them in the bedroom.   
"Something smells really good. Can I have some?" He asked entering the room.  
"Help yourself Doctor." Loki said.  
"Thank you."  
“Did you seriously come here just to steal my food?”  
"No, I came to check on you. The food just smells amazing."  
“It tastes amazing too. Loki’s great at this cooking business.”  
“You’d think maybe some of that would rub off on you.”  
Tony frowned unamused at his friend.  
Loki chuckled as he took another bite.  
"I'll take that as a compliment."  
Bruce smiled and nodded and Tony simply frowned more.  
“Neither of you is being cute right now.”  
"I don't have to be cute. I'm damn gorgeous." he smiled.  
“Yeah I’m starting to believe that.” Tony looked at the god and Bruce laughed.   
“How’s the wound?”  
“Good, no infection and it’s healing up pretty well.” Tony lifted his shirt a bit for Bruce to see.  
"Doing very nicely." Bruce said before returning back to his food.  
Tony nodded and put his shirt back down.  
“Told you. Loki doesn’t let me leave the bedroom, so I have nothing better to do than heal.”  
“At least he can keep you in here.”  
Loki chuckled as he got up to get himself more food.  
Bruce watched Loki go then looked back at Tony.   
“Fury’s asking how bullets got through your suit.” A more serious look crossed the man’s face and Tony sighed heavily.   
“I figured he’d start asking. Maybe we can tell him it was a small explosive.”  
"He's not stupid Tony. He knows it was something more. Those guys have Chitauri grade weapons. Loki took the crate with the rest of them in it and destroyed it because he didn’t want Shield to have it."  
“If we don’t admit it then he won’t have any proof otherwise. Loki and I are the only ones that actually saw the Chitauri weapons.”  
“So that’s what you’re sticking to? A small explosive blew a hole in your suit?”  
“Until I can think of a better lie.”  
Bruce nodded.   
"Right then. How much do you trust him?"  
Tony looked at Bruce and pursed his lips slightly.   
“Fury or Loki?” He didn’t want to think his friend was beginning to question just how safe so much trust with Loki was.   
"Loki." Bruce replied. "Before you get upset with me I'm asking because I want to know how much trust I can put into him."  
“I trust him with my life Bruce. Whether that’s smart or not is another issue, but I trust him.”  
Bruce nodded.   
Loki came back in at that moment with a smile on his face.  
Tony smiled back at the god.   
“Did you bring dessert?”  
"No." Loki dead panned.  
Tony scoffed and mumbled under his breath while Bruce laughed.   
"What, I didn't make dessert. I'm not some Midgardian house wife."  
Tony rolled his eyes.  
“You’re getting too spoiled Tony.” Bruce shook his head.   
"I think you're right doctor. Maybe I should stop making such wonderful cooking."  
“What? That’s not fair!”  
Bruce smiled at his friend then stood.   
“I have to get back; I’m leaving in the morning. I want you to keep me updated on that wound though.”  
“Yeah, yeah.” Tony swatted his hand and crossed his arms. “Where are you going?”  
"Africa for two months and then when I come back I'm going to find myself my own place." he said with a smile.  
“You found a place yet or are you just going to look?”  
"Just going to look around first and then if I see what I’m looking for I’m taking it."  
“Just let me know if you need anything.” Tony smiled at the man and stood to walk him out.   
"Get back in bed; I will show the doctor out. I told you, you're not leaving this bed."  
Tony scoffed but went back to the bed, not wanting to push his luck.   
Bruce couldn’t believe just how much influence Loki had over Tony. He’d never even really listened to Pepper like that.  
He nodded and started to walk the doctor out the door to the elevator.  
Tony watched them go then went back over and sat on the bed.  
“How long do I have to stay stuck in this bed?”  
“Until Mr. Laufeyson releases you Sir.”  
Loki came back in.   
"It’s the only way I can keep you out of the lab."  
“You know it would be nice if we could at least make out since I’m stuck up here.” Tony nearly whined.  
"No, because making out will lead to more and you have a healing wound." Loki pointed it out.  
Tony growled annoyed then fell back heavily on the pillows and pouted.   
“I need love!”  
Loki rolled his eyes.   
"You need sleep." He said, leaning in to give the man a quick but passionate kiss.  
Tony savored the brief kiss and it seemed to sate him for a moment.   
“I get lots of sleep.”  
"You need more to heal better."  
“If I sleep any more I’ll be in a coma.”   
"Okay but no leaving the bed."  
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Stay in bed and look pretty.” Tony smiled.  
"No, I stay in bed and look pretty, you look rather dashing."  
“See now you’re flirting with me again.”   
"I have to keep you busy somehow." He said.  
Tony wiggled his brow at Loki and smiled.   
“Do I get a kiss at least?”  
"Didn’t I just kiss you?"  
“Am I being rationed on kisses?”   
"Yes." He answered with a slight smirk.   
Tony pouted at the god and leaned close.   
“That’s not very nice you know.”  
"You know you're becoming very tiring with the amount of affection you require." Loki said.  
“Yeah Pepper said that to me once.” Tony shrugged and gave Loki a cheeky smile.  
"Anthony, I cannot keep supplying you with the physical attention you want. I’m not a very physical person."  
Tony sighed heavily but nodded and rested back against the pillows.   
“I kind of figured.” He pouted a bit but wasn’t going to argue.   
"I'm sorry." Loki said getting up from the bed. "Get some rest." He added before heading to the bedroom door behind him.  
Tony nodded and huffed the grabbed his phone. Oh well, at least the god wasn’t entirely against affection.   
"Sir, you are asking for a lot of affection from him. You are both polar opposites and he is not big on being in crowds, or being surrounded by noise or going overboard with affection." Jarvis explained.  
“Yeah, I know.” Tony shrugged. He’d picked up on the god’s more than introvert nature, though he wished at least between them it could be different. “He in his library?”  
"Yes, Sir."  
“Get him a new book, would you?”  
“Of course Sir.”  
"Sir, a new book isn’t going to make him show you physical affection."  
“I know that too Jarvis.” Tony snapped and scrolled through his phone before frowning up at the ceiling. At the very least he should be allowed down into his lab. What was he supposed to do stuck in his room alone? The wound wasn’t even serious anymore; it was more like a bad scratch by now.   
"Please Sir, humor Mr. Laufeyson and stay in bed the rest of today."  
Tony growled out annoyed.  
“What am I supposed to do in here?”  
"Shall we make out the plans for the repairs that need to be done to the suit?"  
“Yeah, go ahead and pull it up for me.” Tony pulled up his tablet so he could see an image of the suit.   
Loki finally returned from his library after an hour or two. He came baring a plate of fruit, cheese and crackers as a snack.  
Tony was messing with the hologram models of his suit.   
“Looks like it just got through the plates without anything damage to the wiring.”  
“You are quite lucky Sir.”  
“Something like that.”  
“There is still some residue in the lining of the suit Sir, it seems to be slowly degrading the metal.”  
“How do I wash it out?” Tony pulled up an image of the damaged area then glanced up at Loki.  
"How should I know? It doesn't affect me as it does you." Loki replied.  
Tony shrugged and looked back at the hologram.   
“Thought you might know a bit about it.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Jarvis, analyze that stuff for me. See if I have to scrap everything that was hit.”  
"I have removed the one section of the suit that it started to eat away at so the rest of the suit can still be saved."  
“Alright. Go ahead and get me the new plating for the suit and set it up.”  
“Yes Sir.”  
Tony looked at the god.   
“I got shot before by those guns. Back during the invasion. What was so different about those guns this time?”  
"There was no one kind of gun." Loki explained. They had once that did minimal damage and others that turned you into literal nothing.  
“So the ones you got rid of were probably just higher grade.” Tony rubbed his chin in thought. He frowned suddenly, realizing this gang they were after probably had more of those weapons up for sale.  
"Exactly, and there is no telling what you have until you fire it." Loki replied.  
“We need to find where those weapons were being stored and who else is buying.”  
“Sir, Director Fury will wonder how you know about this.”  
Tony clenched his jaw.   
“Yeah.” He looked at Loki worried.   
"I don't care what he finds out. I'm not his prisoner and I have my powers back."  
“Mr. Laufeyson, have you considered the Director may go after Mr. Stark instead?”  
Tony glanced towards the ceiling then back away. He hadn’t thought about that. He was always in trouble with Fury about something, the thought hadn’t crossed his mind.


	121. Chapter 121

"He wouldn’t. Not when he still needs me. Remember Jarvis, his orders are also coming from someone else." The god reminded him. "I could have walked out of this at any time but he wanted me back in it. He wants me then he will accept it. He cannot control me and that’s what he needs."  
“You are overestimating your influence Mr. Laufeyson. Director Fury is not one to shirk away when a challenge is presented him.”  
“How about we worry about that later? We can all just act surprised the next time we find those weapons.” Tony didn’t want to think about Fury and what he would do.   
“Sir…”  
“Drop it.”  
Loki knew the man liked a bargain as well. Surly he wouldn’t pass up something like this.  
Tony set his tablet to the side and stood, getting a good stretch.   
“You got anything on the main base?”  
“I am still searching Sir, though there are quite a few hideaways owned by Maggia.”  
Tony scoffed.   
“Well has Fury gotten anything out of the people we caught?”  
“He is trying Sir, though he is not going to put a simple weapon’s dump on top of the list of priorities.”  
Tony growled out annoyed. As long as Fury thought Maggia was only dealing in regular weapons, he wouldn’t move any faster.   
"Jarvis, can you find the location of where SHIELD is storing the weapons they have?" he asked.  
“Certainly.” Jarvis pulled up a map for Loki to see.   
Tony looked over curiously.   
“Why do you want to know about that?”  
"So I can destroy the rest and get some work done. Get some rest. When I return, Fury will not know what has happened."  
“Wait, what are you going to do?” Tony looked at the god skeptically. He loved screwing around with Fury as much as the next person, but there were some things Tony didn’t want to tempt.   
"I highly doubt Fury has not taken a look at what was in those boxes. I will go destroy them and when he fusses about it I will deal with it."  
“How about we stop pissing Fury off for just a second?” Tony looked at the god rather sternly. “The only weapons he has are weapons I made for SHIELD. That box was the only one we found with Chitauri weapons, so let’s just relax for a second.”  
"The crates I destroyed were the only ones, are you sure?"  
“They were the only ones I saw and Fury hasn’t said anything about other weapons. He wouldn’t miss an opportunity to threaten you if he’d found Chitauri weapons.” Tony looked at the god. “Maggia might still have more somewhere else though.”  
"I'm sure he wouldn't." Loki replied.  
“Jarvis, I want you to focus on finding those other weapons dumps.”  
“Of course Sir.”  
Tony put his hands on his hips, lips pursed as he tried to think.   
"You look rather comical like that right now." he said.  
Tony stopped his thoughts and looked up at Loki curiously.   
“What? Seriously?” He looked down at himself and pouted a bit. “I do not.”  
"You do." Loki grinned.  
“Pepper thinks I look sexy when I think.”  
“She said that once Sir, and that was to cheer you up.”   
“Shut up Jarvis.”  
"If you saw the face you make when you think like that, you'd see what I'm talking about."  
Tony pouted and his brow furrowed.   
“So you’re saying I look stupid.”  
"I never said you look stupid." Loki replied. "Just comical. You can see the gears in your head turning."  
Tony muttered under his breath.   
“Yeah well you look funny when you think really hard too. You let your mouth hang open.” While this was true, Tony found it far from funny. Whenever he saw Loki deep in thought, all he could do was stare at the god’s mouth.   
Loki sighed.   
"Alright my mouth is open but we all know you stare at it."  
Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes.   
“You stare at my ass.”  
"Not as much as you stare at mine."  
Tony blushed and pursed his lips, crossing his arms over his chest.   
“Whatever.”  
"You're blushing because you know it's true."  
“I am not blushing! I do not blush.” Tony’s cheeks only tinted darker.   
Loki grinned wicked at him.   
"It's starting to travel down your neck."  
Tony quickly clasped a hand to the back of his neck.   
“No it’s not! Jarvis!”  
“I can do nothing Sir.”  
Loki just chuckled as he watched. Crawling onto the bed, he lifted Tony's shirt.   
"It's at your chest now."  
Tony’s eyes widened and he quickly pulled away, shoving his shirt back down.   
“I’m not blushing!”  
“It is quite bad Sir.”  
“Thank you Jarvis!”  
Loki started laughing. He kissing Tony to shut him up for a few moments.  
Tony wanted to resist, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the kiss. He kissed the god back slowly, closing his eyes.   
Loki finally pulled back with a grin.  
Tony blinked his eyes open and frowned at the god.   
“I don’t blush.”  
"You so do." he grinned.  
Tony rolled his eyes.   
“Just kiss me again, I like that better.”  
"Take a nap." He said.  
“Oh come on, I’ve been asleep most of the day!”   
"Sir you've been up since nine this morning. It's now after four." Jarvis replied.  
“Well I’m not tired.” Tony shrugged, his response borderline childish.   
Loki rolled his eyes.   
"I'm taking a nap."  
Tony perked a little bit.   
“I guess a nap wouldn’t kill me.”  
"That’s what I thought." Loki chuckled. Settling in, it didn’t take long for Loki to fall asleep.  
Tony stayed awake for some time, enjoying being pressed to Loki’s body before he eventually dozed off.  
Loki awoke an hour or so later when he felt Tony hold him a bit tighter to make him stay.  
The inventor muttered in his sleep, his brow furrowed. He hadn’t been having the easiest sleep lately, though he blamed that on not being able to work. Usually he was able to distract himself, but being stuck in his room didn’t help.   
Loki shifted a bit.   
"Go to sleep."  
Tony whimpered in his sleep, clutching onto Loki tightly and shaking his head.   
"I'm not leaving Anthony." Loki took his hands and closed them around Tony's.  
He twitched a bit more then suddenly his eyes opened. Tony looked up at Loki, confused for a moment before relaxing.   
"You say something?" He yawned.  
"Go to sleep, Anthony." Loki said.  
Tony tensed slightly and the thought of the nightmares crept into his mind.   
"I think I'll just lay here with you. Keep you warm."  
"I'm never warm, I'm a frost giant."  
"Yeah well then you can keep me cold." Tony smiled playfully.   
"Knock it off and go to sleep. I'll keep the nightmares away."  
Tony's smile faltered just slightly as he looked at the god. Either Loki just knew him that well or he was really easy to read.   
"I'm not tired."  
"It'll be alright." he said.  
There was a glimmer of fear in Tony's eyes as he looked at Loki. He didn't want to have those nightmares again. The ones about his reactor he could handle. But the wormhole...it flashed in his mind and he blinked it away.   
Loki cupped Tony's face in his hands.   
"It’s over." he said.   
Tony looked into the god's eyes.  
"I can't...I don't want to see it anymore. Just let me stay awake for a while, okay? I'll sleep all day tomorrow if you want. But I can't do this right now."  
Loki nodded.   
"Alright." Loki said, tucking his head under Tony's chin.  
Tony wrapped his arms around the god and tried to relax, but he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried to get it out of his mind, the nightmares stayed there and took what little sleep he could get.   
Loki didn’t get to much more sleep himself as he tried to calm his lover down.  
Tony felt guilty for disturbing Loki like this. His intense nightmares had been part of the reason he and Pepper didn’t last very long.   
When the sun started to come up, Loki had Jarvis draw the shades.  
Tony watched as the room darkened and he looked at the god.   
“Why don’t you finish your nap? I need some coffee.”  
Loki nodded letting go of him so he could get up.   
"Stay out of the lab."  
“Yeah, yeah, I promise.” Tony waved at the god then stood and stretched. Oh it felt so good to get out of that damn bed. If he never slept in it again it would be too soon.   
Loki settled into Tony's spot and went to sleep.  
Tony glanced back at the god and smiled to himself before walking out of the room. He went into the kitchen for some coffee then remembered he’d have to re-wire Jarvis. Hopefully Loki wouldn’t make this a habit.   
"I'm surprised you didn’t notice that he did it." Jarvis said when Tony came around to start poking at it.  
Tony rolled his eyes.   
“Sorry that I was worried with other things. I thought you two were just hanging out too much.” Tony opened up the panel and couldn’t help smiling a bit. Not bad really. At least he knew how smart the god was.   
"You really must give him credit Sir. He's a great deal smarter than was believed."  
“No kidding. I don’t even know how he figured half this stuff out.” Tony went through and set about reconfiguring Jarvis to his previous settings.   
"I am surprised you have not tried to ask him more about Asgard's technology."  
“You think I should? I don’t want to look too nerdy.” Tony finished reprogramming Jarvis and sighed.  
"From what he's been telling me, Sir, Asgard's technology is very advanced."  
“Oh yeah? Well then Point Break must have skipped out on the computers and technology class.” Tony closed the panel up again, relieved to have Jarvis functioning normally.   
"But Sir, they do not have the same technology we do. Loki explained it as magic. Their magic is our science."  
“I remember that part.” Tony sipped his coffee then went down to his lab, somewhat out of habit really. That was usually where he went when he wasn’t in his bedroom.


	122. Chapter 122

“Sir.”  
“Yeah?”  
“You promised.”   
Tony stopped outside the lab and whined, looking into it.   
“Come on, it won’t kill me! That wound is gone anyway!”  
"Sir, you promised." he said.  
Tony pressed his forehead to the glass door to the lab then grumbled and went back upstairs.  
Loki woke up and hour later, dragging himself out of the bed and wandering around.  
Tony sat at the island, making more adjustments to his suit.  
“Guess that’s it. Now I just need to actually build it.”  
“I’ve ordered the parts for the suits already Sir. Also, Dum-E has knocked something over in the lab.”  
Tony groaned.  
"What have I missed?" Loki asked coming out of the bedroom.  
“Not much. I fixed Jarvis. Nice work on the wires by the way.” Tony smiled at the god.  
Loki smiled.   
"Thank you." he grinned.  
“Do they use wires in Asgardian technology or is it all streams of magic?” He was curious now, and Tony was intent on getting answers.  
"We don't use wires and there is nothing attached to the screens we'd use."  
“So how do you deliver electric feeds to your tech?”  
We don't." he said. "As I said before, it’s all magic. Magic is energy in itself."  
“Okay but how do you make sure it’s channeling where it should? Or is the object created with magic and then powered by magic atmospherically?” Tony could feel his truly nerdy, curious side coming out.  
"The latter." Loki replied. "Depending on what it is, the magic goes to the same source of energy."  
“Did you ever have to use wires on Asgard or are you guys too advanced for that?”  
"We never had to use wires." he replied.  
“So is everything powered by magic or electricity?” Tony’s mind was reeling from this.  
Magic." he replied. "We still use fire and torches. We do not have some of the same things you do. We don’t have doctors, we have healers. I can heal you with a few spells."  
“Yeah, I’ve seen that before. Does the magic act differently depending on what you use it for?”  
“Sir, Director Fury wishes to see you.”  
Tony scoffed and ran his hands over his face.   
“Now?”  
“Now.”  
"I'll explain later." Loki replied. "Go deal with Fury."  
“Oh so now you’re not going to stop me from going out?” Tony sighed but stood and grabbed his shoes. Might as well get this over with, though he wondered what this was about that the man couldn’t just call him.   
“I’ll be back in a bit.”  
"Because it takes energy to argue with Fury and I don’t have that energy."  
“No, you just don’t really love me.” Tony faked a pout then winked at Loki before heading to the garage. He hopped into one of his cars, the blue one, and headed out.  
Loki chuckled as he sat in a chair for a few moments.  
Tony pulled up to SHIELD headquarters and went inside. He got quite a few dirty looks from some of the agents as he walked by; apparently, the news of his dating Loki was sitting sourly with them.   
“Stark, good to see you alive and walking.”   
“The walking is the most surprising part. Loki doesn’t let me get out of the room.” Tony shook his head and sat down. “So, what’s up?’  
"Ignore them. They’re mad, they’re out of an interrogation job." Fury said.  
Tony snorted and shook his head.   
“Maybe they should have done their jobs better.”  
Fury chuckled a bit and nodded then sighed.   
“We need to talk.”  
“Oh God, you’re not breaking up with me are you?”  
Fury made a face.   
"Don't test me Stark I was just starting to like you again." Fury said.  
Tony pursed his lips, trying not to laugh.   
“Alright sorry. So what’s wrong?”  
Fury pulled up a weapon and Tony blanched.   
“Where did you get that?”  
“It was on one of the guards we took into custody. After we asked him a couple questions, he told us there was an entire crate of these weapons on that train.”  
“Really?”  
“Don’t play stupid with me Stark. With did Loki do with them?”  
“He destroyed them so no one else could use them.”  
"And when the hell were you going to say something?" Fury questioned.   
“I wasn’t. Loki said no one else should have those weapons and I agreed, so he destroyed them. I thought it would be best to keep that detail out of the reports.”  
“That you let a war criminal from another planet get these weapons?’  
“He doesn’t have them Fury, he got rid of them!”  
“Oh really? How did he do that Star? Did you see them get destroyed?”  
Tony paused as he looked at Fury. In truth, all he’d seen was Loki send them through a portal. But Tony trusted the god, he trusted him with his life.   
“Yeah, I did.”  
"He's a wild card I can't afford Stark. A lot rides on this."  
“He destroyed those weapons, alright? They’re gone. No one can use them anymore but you should be more worried about Maggia having more of them.”   
“You think I’m not already on that?”  
Tony looked at the man curiously.   
“I haven’t gotten any reading about…”  
“That’s because I didn’t tell you. Since it’s apparently okay to keep secrets again, I decided to start with you.”  
“I was trying to keep Loki safe.”  
“From what? If you think he didn’t do anything wrong, why hide this from me?”  
“Oh no. I’m not playing this stupid game. You know exactly why I didn’t tell you!”  
Fury's frown deepened.   
"Next time he wants to destroy something and not tell me, I want you to tell me what he destroyed."  
“Fine.”  
“Stark, this isn’t a game.”  
“I know it’s not.” Tony frowned back at the director.   
"He's playing it like one." He said.  
“Are you saying that because he’s been helping so much on these missions or because he didn’t let you have those guns?”  
"Both. The council wanted me to turn them over to them."  
“For what? We don’t need them and nobody should have those things.”  
“It wasn’t my decision Stark! You think I don’t know how dangerous those weapons are? The Council wanted them, not me. And in case you’ve forgotten, those are the same people whose ass I had to kiss when you asked to move Loki to the tower!”  
“Then let me talk to them. I still have a hole in my suit from those stupid guns!”  
"Wait a minute, it wasn't Starks decision to have Loki at the tower, it was yours the first time they moved him. You didn’t want him nor did anyone else." Hill pointed out.  
“Did I ask you?” Fury looked at the agent and she quickly pursed her lips.   
Tony glanced at the woman and frowned surprised. Had she been there the entire time? Or did she slip in? He looked around, half expecting to see Natasha.  
“You can trust him Fury.” Tony looked at the Director. “And you can trust me.”  
Fury huffed.   
"I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him."  
“Tough, cause right now he’s the only reason our missions have gone off without a hitch.”  
"That’s why I'm not telling him to stay down."  
“Good. Are we done?”  
"Yeah." He replied.  
“I’ll tell Loki you said hi.” Tony stood and walked out of the office. At least they weren’t in trouble. Yet.   
Loki was on the couch, waiting for him to return.  
Tony strolled back into the tower and smiled when he saw the god.   
“Miss me?”  
"I thought you'd never return." Loki said dramatically.  
“Well I’m back. You can stop worrying now.” Tony smiled and went over to the god, sitting next to him on the couch. “Fury found out about the Chitauri weapons.”  
"I knew it was coming soon enough." Loki replied.  
“I talked to him about it, you’re not in trouble. He said next time we have to run that by him.”  
Loki rolled his eyes.   
"Fine."  
Tony chuckled and put an arm around the god.   
“Come on, don’t pout. It could have gone a lot worse.”  
"Very well could have."  
“But it didn’t. And at least we don’t have to try and warn him about the other weapons Maggia might have. He’s looking for them now.”  
"That should go over well." He said.  
“Let’s just hope there aren’t anymore. I’m not in the mood to get my suit shot up anymore.”  
"I don't think anyone is." Loki said.  
Tony nodded and sighed.   
“I have to go and fix my suit. You want to come watch?”  
"No, I'll be fine right here." he said.  
Tony rolled his eyes and stood.  
“Fine, I’ll go do it myself. If you need me, I’ll be in the lab.”  
"Keep pouting and I'll rewire Jarvis. How do you think I did it the first time?"  
“You know you’re not sexy when you threaten me.” Tony stood. “And I don’t pout.”  
"Yes I am." Loki smiled.   
“No you’re not!” Tony said as he headed down to his lab. It was like seeing an old friend after a long time. He smiled as everything came to life.   
Loki had Jarvis put on a movie for him.  
Tony worked on making the repairs to his suit. With all the sleep he’d been getting, he didn’t feel the least bit tired now.   
Since it was early, Loki decided to leave Stark alone for a few hours and brought him a sandwich around lunch time.  
Tony had his music blaring and was bobbing his head as he worked. He almost didn’t notice the sandwich Loki brought down.   
“Sir, Mr. Laufeyson has brought you lunch.”  
Tony paused and pulled up his goggles.  
Loki waved from the other side of the glass. He had the plate in one hand and a soda in the other.  
Tony looked over and smiled a bit then waved him in.   
“No apron?”  
"A what?" Loki asked.  
“An apron. It’s…never mind.” Tony shook his head then went over and took the sandwich. “You gonna join me for lunch?”  
“Sir, Director Fury has informed me he has found two more locations where Maggia is hiding weapons.”  
“Pull em up.”  
"Does this mean we suit up?" he asked.


	123. Chapter 123

“Not yet. Fury hasn’t called to mobilize us. It just means get ready to suit up soon.”  
“Director Fury is still establishing parameters and calculating risk.”  
"Of course he will." Loki replied. "Will you have your suit ready in time?"  
Tony sighed and shook his head.  
“Not this one. I’ll have to use one of my other suits if we get called out.” Tony looked at the locations and frowned. “They’re close to the city.”  
“Yes, the Director feared it may be because that is where the Chitauri weapons were after the conquest.”  
“Guess this means they’re going to have more.”  
"Of course we are. For every crate we find of Chitauri weapons, I will destroy them."  
Tony looked at the god and nodded. “At least we have a better idea what we’re up against. As long as we don’t get hit, we should be fine.”  
"Perfect." Loki replied.  
Tony shrugged.   
“Could be worse Reindeer Games. We could have never found out about the Chitauri weapons.” Tony went back to welding his suit.   
"Very true." Loki said.  
“Get your sexy armor ready just in case we need to jet.” Tony winked at the god playfully.  
"Not a problem for me to do anything." Loki said.  
Tony smiled at the god then looked at his other suits. “Alright, who wants to come with me?”   
The suits all hummed as they turned on and looked up at their creator. Dum-E then quickly wheeled over to Tony and nudged his leg.   
“No, not you!”  
"Don’t be so mean to him. Besides we haven’t even been called yet."  
“You feel sympathy for my stupid robot sons?” Tony looked at the god curiously then huffed as Dum-E beeped and nudged him. “Fine, you want something to do? Go over there and don’t destroy anything.”  
Dum-E beeped happily and raced off, knocking a work bench to the side.   
Loki shook his head. "Why are you so mean to him?"  
“Because he’s useless.” Tony gestured at Dum-E, who was quite content in the corner of the lab.   
"You created him, so what does that say about you?"  
“I made them when I was twelve, okay? I think I’m allowed to make at least once mistake.” Tony rolled his eyes.   
Butterfingers went over, wanting some attention as well.   
"And which one is this?" Loki asked.  
“This one’s Butterfingers. Technically he’s older than Dum-E.”  
The other machine beeped from its corner and looked up at the mention if its name.  
“No, you stay there.”  
Butterfingers beeped at Loki then began clamp its mechanical claw at Loki as it upset.   
“Hey, would you stop that? He already apologized.”  
"I don't know what I did." he replied. "What did I do?"  
“He holds grudges. He’s still upset about what happened with the Chitauri, even though he’s seen you down here a hundred times.” Tony whacked the machine, lips pursed.  
Butterfingers beeped surprised then gripped Tony’s shirt and tried pulling him away from Loki.  
“Stop it! You’re ripping my shirt!”  
The trickster shook his head as he watched the robot try to save his creator.  
Tony struggled to get away and Butterfingers ended up ripping his shirt. “God damn it!”  
The machine beeped and lowered its clawed hand.   
“He’s a good guy, you idiot!”  
Loki started laughing.  
"Why have you never upgraded them?"  
“I have. I upgrade them all the time but they’re still useless.”  
Butterfingers beeped almost sadly.   
“No don’t pout at me.”  
"So mean." Loki chuckled.  
“How am I mean?” Tony looked at the god then back at Butterfingers.  
"You beat them, call them names, and all they want is to protect you."  
“See, now I feel like an abusive father.” Tony looked at the god and pursed his lips as Butterfingers grabbed his pants. “Let go of my pants.”  
Butterfingers beeped.  
“He’s a good guy! Look!” Tony grabbed Loki and kissed him. “See? Nice!”  
Butterfingers beeped flustered and spun the other way.  
Loki stood there a bit dazed. "Do that again." he ordered.  
Tony looked at the god curiously then glanced at Butterfingers. “You mean scold him or kiss you?”  
"Kiss me." He said.  
Tony smiled and put his hands on the god’s hips. He leaned in and kissed Loki again.  
Loki returned the kiss, enjoying it for all it was worth.  
Tony let his hands move up from the god’s hips to his waist. He pulled Loki close, deepening the kiss.  
Butterfingers beeped nervously and began whirring quietly as he looked away from the couple.  
Loki moaned into the kiss and pushed things off the work bench before hopping up on it.  
Tony smiled a bit to himself and went over to the god. He ran his hands along Loki’s thighs.   
“Should we make a mess in the lab?” He kissed the god’s cheek.  
"I wouldn’t say a whole mess but right here is fine." Loki said.  
Tony rolled his eyes with a little smile. “Reindeer Games, you need to learn to make messes sometimes.” He kissed the god again.  
"I don't like messes." Loki growled between kisses.  
“You know I’m starting to pick up on that with the way you clean your plate before you clean your plate.” Tony teased then pulled up Loki’s shirt. He ran his hands along the god’s sides.  
"I've learned never let a meal go to waste." Loki replied.  
Tony chuckled a bit and shook his head. “Good habit to keep, I guess.” He undid the god’s pants and tugged them down.  
Loki pulled Tony's shirt off. "Very much so."  
Tony kissed the god as he climbed over him. He straddled Loki’s hips, hands tangling in his inky hair.  
Loki smiled as he wrapped his legs around Tony's waist.  
Tony pressed his groin against Loki’s, grinding against him slowly.  
The black haired god bit his lip as he reached down to grab the man’s rear end.  
Tony kissed Loki’s neck again, biting his skin just enough to leave a mark under his jaw.   
Loki sucked in a sharp breath as he was bitten.  
Tony smiled to himself at the god’s reaction and bit again, rubbing his hips. He moved down to Loki’s chest, nipping and kissing there as well.  
Tangling his fingers in the man's hair, Loki pulled Tony back in for a kiss.  
Tony leaned up quickly and captured the god’s lips in his own. He pressed against him again, spreading Loki’s thighs.  
"How much further are you going to open my legs?" Loki asked in a teasing tone.  
“Only enough for me to fit.” Tony smiled and removed his own pants.   
Loki shook his head fondly.  
Tony leaned in and kissed Loki deeply, rubbing the god’s inner thighs with his thumbs.  
"Enjoying yourself?"  
“Just a lot, yeah.” Tony pressed a finger to Loki’s hole, teasing the tight skin there.  
Loki arched a bit.  
Tony moved down to the god’s hips, kissing the skin above his groin.   
"None of that." Loki said.  
Tony paused and looked up at the god curiously. “Do you want to stop?”  
"I don't want to stop, but I don't want your lip wrapped around me." he said.  
Tony pouted. “But I have great lips.” He grinned and suddenly got a terrible idea. He moved further down.  
"No." Loki ordered again. "Either you don't do it or this ends." He said.  
Tony pouted but wasn’t going to force his lover. “Spoiled sport.” He bit Loki’s inner thigh.  
Loki gasped as he was bitten. "No, it means you should find new tricks."  
Tony looked at the god as if he’d been given permission for something terrible. He grinned and pulled back. “Alright.” He pulled up a clean rag from one of the drawers and put it over Loki’s eyes.   
"What are you doing?"  
“Blinding you. I’ve read that it enhances the experience.” Tony smiled as he tied the rag.   
Loki nodded, letting it happen.  
Tony tied the god’s hands as well and looked him over slowly. Now this was quite the sight. He ran his hands along Loki’s thighs softly, barely touching his skin.  
Loki held his breath as he felt Stark touch him. What he guessed were finger tips felt like hands.  
Tony ran his hands up from Loki’s thighs to his sides then his chest. He kissed the god’s throat, rolling Loki’s nipples between his fingers.  
Loki shivered under the man's touch. "Anthony."  
Tony slipped his hands back to the god’s waist, squeezing there before reaching down and rubbing his hips.   
"Please." Loki said. "I want to feel you."  
The inventor smiled again and kissed Loki. “Mind using your magic to conjure up some lube? I don’t keep any in the lab.”   
Loki whispered and gasped as he felt the lube do its job of making him slick for his lover.  
Tony took his time prepping Loki, teasing his sensitive inner walls and brushing against his prostate. He pulled his fingers out and got between the god’s legs.  
Loki was a whimpering mess by this point.  
Tony traced his hands along Loki’s thighs, nudging the head of his cock to the god’s entrance.   
Loki's mouth dropped open, a quiet moan coming from him as he arched.  
Tony pushed in slowly, kissing and biting all the skin he could reach. He ran his hands along the god’s body, running over every inch of skin.  
"Please, please, please." Loki begged as his stretched around Tony's length.  
Tony felt his sanity slip at the sound of Loki begging. He bit his lower lip, moaning once he was inside the god completely.   
Being blind folded, Loki felt the full extent of Tony's size.  
“Mm, fuck you feel good.” Tony bit his lower lip then leaned close and kissed Loki hard. He rolled his hips slowly.   
"Yes! Harder!"  
Tony held Loki’s thighs around him and thrust hard, his breathing heavy. “Oh fuck.”  
Loki felt a shudder shake him from head to toe. Without warning, the black haired prince was coming across his chest and stomach in ribbons.  
Tony came just from the sight. He moaned almost surprised and came inside Loki after a few more thrusts.   
Loki would have liked to wrapped his arms around the inventor but found himself bound still.  
Tony’s mind was hazy for a moment as he came down from the high. Once he did, he looked at Loki and smiled to himself before untying the god.   
Loki relaxed a bit more and undid the blindfold.  
Tony pulled the god close and kissed him softly. “Mm, lab sex.” He grinned.  
Loki nodded. "You can say that again."  
Tony chuckled and pulled out of the god. “Think maybe we should get cleaned off.”  
"Yeah." He replied. Loki started to sit up slowly. No more sex in the lab; no place to cuddle.  
Tony fixed his pants then rubbed his back a bit. That was a little more strain than he’d thought. He looked Loki over and smiled, handing him his pants.  
Taking his jeans, Loki pulled them back on and hopped off the table.


	124. Chapter 124

Tony smiled at the god and went back upstairs with him.   
“Looks like I came at a bad time.” Pepper smiled, blushing as she saw the two.  
Tony turned red in the face, his eyes widening. “Pep! Jarvis why didn’t you tell me she was here?!”  
“I did Sir, but you were…preoccupied.”  
Loki started laughing as he sat down on the couch. "Hello Ms. Potts."  
Pepper smiled at the two and shook her head. “I can leave if I’m interrupting something.”  
"No, everything is done." Loki said.  
“Good.” The redhead shook her head with a little smile. “I just came by to see how you two were doing.”  
“Fine, all things considered.”   
“I got a call from SHIELD.”  
“They called you?” Tony looked at Pepper curiously. The redhead nodded.   
“They didn’t go into a lot of detail, but they said I might need to be moved for my own safety. Seems they intercepted a few threats.”  
“From who?” Tony looked at her shocked. Who would ever want to harm Pepper?  
“I don’t remember, it sounded like a circus group. Magic? Magio?”  
“Maggia.”  
Getting up, Loki went over to Pepper. "Have they said where they were moving you to?" he asked. "Or did they want you to come here to the tower?"  
“They’ve got a place set up for me. The agent that called me said the tower was too dangerous.”  
Tony pursed his lips. “Why are they going after you?”  
“I don’t know. I didn’t even know they were until SHIELD called me.”  
Loki nodded. "No offense Ms. Potts, but you're hardly anything special that they would want you." he said. "You don't have powers, or the same level of intellect that Stark does." Loki pointed out. "Why would they want you?"  
“I honestly don’t know. I thought maybe you two would know more about it.”  
“Nobody’s told me anything. I’ll talk to Fury about it. I want you here until we figure this out.”  
"I can’t stay here Tony, told you they're coming to take me and put me into protective custody."  
“It’ll just be for a few hours until I clear this up with Fury. Jarvis.”  
“I am making the call now Sir.”  
"Are you hungry Ms. Potts?"  
“Do you have anything for a salad?”  
Tony took the call into the hallway.   
“Stark.”  
“Hey, Pepper just came over. She says you’re moving her because of some threats.”  
“Yeah. Rogers got some too. I’m guessing Maggia knows we’re onto them and they’re trying to scare us off.”  
“But why Pepper?”  
“She’s close to you isn’t she? If they get to her, what won’t you do?”  
Tony paused and nodded. He’d almost forgotten how much danger Pepper was in just being his friend.  
"Of course." Loki said getting up to make her a salad. "How long have you known Anthony?" Loki asked.  
"Years. I met him when I was starting up college and he was coming back as an alumni and I bumped into him." she said.   
“She said she never got them.”  
“We intercept all of her mail for possible threats. Guess now she knows.”  
“Creepy but thanks. Where is she going?”  
“A safe location. You know protocol though Stark. Can’t tell you.”  
“Yeah, yeah.”  
"We'll keep her safe, don't worry." Fury said. "I have a team on their way to the tower for her."  
“Alright.” Tony sighed. “Got anything on Maggia?”  
“New details on a possible location. You and Laufeyson better be ready to move.”  
Loki set the salad down in front of Pepper at the table.  
Pepper smiled at the god. “Thank you.” She took a bite then looked at Loki. “So this is real? You and Tony?”  
"Very much so." Loki replied.  
Pepper nodded and was quiet for a moment. “Can I ask you something? I mean I know it’s not my business but I’d like an answer.”  
"Depends on the question in truth." Loki said.  
“Are you going to go back home?” Pepper looked at the god. “I mean, now that you have your power. Tony had mentioned you planned on leaving. Are you?”  
"One I have some of my powers. Two if I wanted to leave I would have." he said. In truth Loki couldn’t leave yet anyway. He had to have all his powers to do that.  
Pepper nodded and smiled a bit. “Well I’m glad you’re staying. I really don’t know what I would do with Tony if you weren’t here.”  
“Are you talking about me?” Tony asked as he walked over.   
"Yes we're talking about you. No we are not telling you the nature of the conversation."  
“Jerk.” Tony pouted at the god then looked at Pepper. “Fury’s gonna send some agents to get you from here.”  
The redhead nodded and finished up her salad. “This won’t be a permanent thing, will it?”  
“No, it won’t. I promise.”  
"You'll be fine Ms. Potts." Loki replied. "If I could I would come visit you but I don't have the strength needed for that." he said.  
Pepper smiled at Loki. “We’ll just go out for lunch when it’s safe.”  
Tony looked at the redhead clearly worried but put on a brave face. “Take care, alright? And try to relax.”  
“Tony this isn’t a vacation.”  
“It could be.”  
"Perhaps." Loki agreed.  
“Don’t help him.” Pepper looked at Loki then glanced back as some agents walked in.   
“Miss Potts, we’re ready to go.”   
“Alright. I’ll see you two when this is over then.”  
“Take care Pep.”  
Loki nodded to her as he helped her up from her seat and took her over to the agents.  
Pepper sighed as she went with the agents, casting one last glance at Tony and Loki. Tony watched her go then ran his fingers through his hair.   
"Things will be alright and you'll be home again before you know it." Loki smiled.  
Pepper smiled at Loki then left.   
Tony stood where he was for a moment. “Jarvis, keep an eye on her.”  
“Of course Sir.”  
Loki rubbed his shoulder. "Things will be alright."  
Tony looked at the god and nodded. “Yeah, she always is.” Tony gave a tight smile, remembering the little ordeal with Extremis. Though SHIELD had been keeping an eye on Pepper and shown she was fine now, Tony worried she wouldn’t be.  
"Now we have to suit up and get to SHEILD don't we?" he asked.  
“Fury should be calling any second…”  
“Sir.”  
“Now.” Tony sighed and went to the balcony, his suit assembling onto him.   
Loki sighed and was suddenly in his armor and heading off for the balcony. As he joined Tony, he saw a familiar glow from the Bifrost.   
"Oh joy, Thor's back on Midgard."  
Tony glanced up then flipped open the visor of his suit. He looked at Loki and offered a small smile. “You want to leave now or wait for him?”  
"He's probably come down for whatever might happen." Loki said.  
“Can’t be very good then.” Tony flipped his visor back on. “You want to ride me or go on your own?”  
"I'll be fine on my own." he said. Loki could already feel his anger rising in him.   
Tony nodded and took off, leaving a thin trail of smoke in his wake. “Jarvis, tell Fury we’re on our way.”  
“He is expecting you both as well as Mr. Odinson.”  
Loki was on the roof of SHIELD, not wanting to see his brother just yet.  
Tony walked inside and went to the debriefing room. The others were already there and Thor walked in moments later. The towering blond glanced about the room.   
“Where is my brother?”  
“On the roof.”  
“Get him in here Stark. I’m not going to hand out pamphlets to everybody and he needs to hear this.”   
"I'm right here." Loki said from a dark corner he phased into but a minute before. "What is it I need to hear so badly?"  
Fury looked at the god then pulled up the maps they had. “We’ve located the Maggia base of operations. There were other small ammo dumps, but this is our main concern.”  
“Know anything about what’s inside?” Tony asked as he looked the maps over.  
“Mostly employees but we picked up energy signatures matching the Chitauri weapons inside.”  
“So we’re going in for the weapons. Doesn’t sound too hard.” Natasha shrugged.  
Thor glared at his brother.  
"There's a catch. What’s the part you're not telling us?" Loki asked.  
Fury glanced at the god then looked at the others. “Maggia doesn’t want to let go of these weapons. And I don’t think they like the fact that we got rid of the other ones they had. We really pissed these people off.”  
“It’s just a bunch of gang bangers though, isn’t it?” Tony looked at the man curiously and felt his stomach start to tighten a bit.  
“We have some intel telling us they may have tapped into the Chitauri weapons further than we originally thought.” The director sighed heavily. “We think they have the mind-control ability Laufeyson had during the invasion.”  
The air went still and Clint tensed, his eyes quickly flitting to the god.   
Loki's fists clenched and his mouth tightened into a thin line. "I don't have that kind of power." Loki said.  
"Yes you do Brother." Thor interjected.  
"See he's already lying." Clint said glaring at Loki.   
"No, I do not. I do not have all of my powers and without all of them I cannot do any mind control. The magic needed is too advanced for what little power the Allfather is currently granting me."  
Tony shot a frown at Clint and Thor then looked over at Fury. Though the man clearly wanted to side with his comrades, he knew Loki wasn’t lying about this. He knew well the terms of Loki’s work with the Avengers and just how limited his magic was.   
“He doesn’t have more power than we need, though right now, more would be appreciated. Agent Barton, I’m sure you remember how hard this stuff is to reverse by non-magical means.”  
Clint clenched his jaw and looked away but nodded. Natasha looked back at him, worry crossing her face for a moment before it was gone.  
“Do we have anything to guard against it?”  
“Not unless all of you want reactors in your chests.” Tony looked at the others in the room.   
Loki stood back in the corner. He chuckled a little bit. "So where do we start?" he asked.  
"We've marked a few entry points that we can use. No doubt they'll be under heavy guard since the last attack. Laufeyson, that’s where I want you to come in. I need you to help take out the guards and then get the weapons out.  
"I can only do so much Director. I do not have all my powers and what you're asking for is for me to be in two places at once which I cannot do." Loki said.  
"He is right-"   
"Shut up. I do not need you to defend everything I say." Loki snapped at Thor as he tried to cut in."  
Thor frowned at his brother and pursed his lips. “I am on your side in this Loki. Why must you spite me?”  
“Guys, not now.” Tony tried to interject before things got ugly.


	125. Chapter 125

Loki growled at the blonde and turned away from him. It was slowly becoming clear that there was something between the two but what it was would have to come about at a later date.  
“Are you two done? Because we do have other issues to get to.” Fury looked at the gods then pulled up some images. “We have a read on the structure of the building and roughly how many people are in there. Everyone will be armed and they’ll most likely be using the Chitauri weapons.”  
“Loki and I can go in there. We all know the mind control doesn’t work on me.” Tony looked at Fury.   
"No it doesn’t but the weapons do." he reminded him.  
"So what do we do?" Clint asked.  
Loki came forward to look at the plan.   
"I will give you a five minute start. I'll use my shadows to push away as many of them as possible and then after that you'll have to go in. Once you're in, Anthony and I will start removing the weapons as quickly as possible. Here," he said pointing the map laid out," is where we will start. Thor here. Doctor Banner, Captain, the two of you here. Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff here." he said mapping it out.  
Natasha pursed her lips and looked at Loki then at Fury. The director simply nodded his head, silently telling her that this was their best plan. She didn’t like it, but didn’t argue.  
“You’ll all be wearing armor to protect against physical trauma, but if you get zapped with a Chitauri weapon, there ain’t much I can do for you.”  
They nodded.   
"Alright, suit up, load up, and head out." Fury ordered.  
Everyone quickly got up and went to get suited up but not before casting dirty looks Loki’s way. Tony returned the favor.   
“Pricks.”  
Loki placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Not the time or place."  
Tony glanced at the god and nodded, letting go of a heavy sigh. “Fine. I’ll kick Barton’s ass later.”  
The Avengers all shuffled into the jets and got ready to move.   
“Remember, the Chitauri weapons are our main concern. Anything else you find in there can wait.” Fury’s voice sounded over the intercom on the jets.   
"Copy that." Steve replied.  
Clint glared at Loki the entire time.  
"Glaring at him won’t change anything Clint." Nat said.  
“No but it makes me feel better.” Clint scowled at the god then looked away.   
Tony bit back the urge to say something to the archer.   
"Don't." Loki warned him. "I’m not worth it."  
Tony looked at the god in disbelief. “You are to me.”   
"Well don't start anything." Loki said.  
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Tony scoffed but again bit his tongue.   
The Avengers arrived on location soon enough and quickly spread out as Loki had shown earlier.  
Using his magic, Loki started off with his shadows to clear as much as he could of the guards. It would confuse them and disorientate them as well.  
Tony waited until enough of the guards were out of the way before he moved in. He and Loki would be leading the charge, and with any luck, they would all be done before dinner.  
Loki stopped using his shadows. "Send the others in."  
The others stormed in on Loki’s signal and moved to where they’d been told.   
“We’ve got this first hall cleared!”  
“I haven’t seen any Chitauri guns yet. They must be using them further in.” Tony noted as he took out some more guards.  
Loki took a moment to regain himself. Using his shadows took a great deal of magic and he still had a portal he needed to open.  
Tony moved further into the building then found Loki down another hall. “Hey, are you okay?”  
Natasha knocked out some guards down another hall and looked around. “No Chitauri weapons yet, but I found some computers.”  
“Save those for later.” Steve replied then shot at another guard.  
Loki nodded. "I'll be fine." he said. "Have you found the store rooms for the weapons?" He asked.  
“Yeah, they’re two floors up.” Tony looked down the hall when he heard more noise. “Better get moving.”  
Loki nodded and disappeared from view of the other. The sooner this was done the better. Opening a portal Loki quickly started to drop the crates through them.  
Tony headed up as fast as he could, though he was surprised there weren’t more guards.   
“Guys, stay on your toes.” He rounded a corner and found five guards there with Chitauri guns.   
“Oh fuck me.” He blasted then quickly ducked back.  
"Stark?" Steve called into his com.   
“I’m fine! Just found the guards with the Chitauri guns. They’re waiting on the third floor!” Tony replied then tossed a flash grenade at the guards.   
Natasha overheard and nodded. “Clint, third floor is a no.” She took out another guard. “Loki, where are you?”   
"I've got the guns and I'm nearly done sending them to SHIELD. Get ready to start moving out." He replied.  
The assassin nodded and kept heading for the room. She wanted to make sure the god wasn’t double crossing them. She ran into some more guards along the way, but they were easy enough to take out.   
“Stark, where are you?”  
“Almost to the main room.” Tony threw another flash grenade then kept moving.  
Steve ducked around a corner when more guards showed up. "They were definitely ready for us this time." Steve said.  
"Loki we need help down here." Clint called.  
"I cannot offer you the help you need at the moment." He gritted. They needed his shadows and his attention was elsewhere.  
Tony eventually made it to the room where Loki was. The god looked exhausted. “You can relax Reindeer Games, we can handle it from here.”  
The Hulk tore through the guards on the lower floors easily. The biggest problem was the guards with the Chitauri guns upstairs.   
Loki sent the last of the weapons through the portal. "Tell everyone we need to get going." he said.  
Tony looked at the god and nodded then sent the message along to everyone else. “Loki got the weapons they had stored.”  
“Everybody move in!” Steve told the other SHIELD agents that had been waiting for the signal. They moved in to take down the rest of the guards.   
Tony looked at the god worried. “Go back to the tower.”  
"I can't." Loki replied. The portal closed quickly and the god felt more drained than he had before.  
Tony went to the god’s side; he looked like he was about to faint. “No more magic?”  
Natasha found the room soon enough and looked at Tony and Loki. “You already get the weapons?”  
"Yes." He replied. He stumbled a bit.   
Natasha frowned. "Were you hit?" she asked.   
"Not likely Agent Romanov." Loki replied.   
"Guys we need to get out of here and now. We can't hold them back for much longer." Steve told them.  
“You think Fury would send more agents.” Tony groused and grabbed Loki’s arm. “Come on, I’ll carry you out.”  
Natasha watched them and huffed.   
"He wouldn't risk it." Loki said.  
Tony heaved the god up, helping him keep his balance. “I have to get him back to the tower.”  
Natasha pursed her lips but nodded. “Then leave.” She turned on her heel and was out of the room.   
"Not the tower. We're going back with everyone else." Loki told him.  
“Loki, you don’t even have enough energy to stand on your own two feet. I’m taking you back to the tower. Everybody else will be fine.” Tony looked at the god sternly and scoffed when Loki pulled away from him.  
Forcing himself to stand up on his own Loki looked at him. "Come on." he said.  
“Loki, you need to get back to the tower and rest.” Tony grabbed the god’s wrist. “We’re done here anyway.”  
"I can rest later we need to go back now." he replied. "Get being yelled at over and done with."  
Tony sighed out through his nose and walked out with Loki. The others were waiting for them outside as SHIELD agents flooded into to get the guards.   
“Everyone alright?”  
“Yeah, thankfully we’re all in one piece. You two?” Steve looked at Tony and Loki.   
Thor frowned when he saw the state of his brother.   
"You're pushing your limits." He said in Norse.  
"And you're going to mind your business." Loki replied.  
"English please." Clint called.  
"Let’s go Fury wants us back." Steve said.  
Tony looked at Loki worried and got onto the jet. It was quiet, and awkwardly tense. Thor kept looking over at his brother, wanting to speak but keeping quiet.   
Loki slept sitting up. He closed his eyes and kept his chin held high. In truth, it didn’t look like he was sleeping.  
Tony stayed close to the god, his eyes never leaving Loki. He didn’t like the tough guy act Loki put on for the others, even though he understood the need for it.  
Bruce frowned as he looked over at the two. Loki was paler than usual. Thor noticed it to but knew better than to call Loki on it.  
Tony sat as close to the god as he could, in case he started to droop as he slept.   
The Avengers all arrived back at SHIELD soon enough.   
“Think Fury wants to scold us some more?” Tony sighed then nudged Loki slightly. “Time to wake up.”  
Loki hummed in acknowledgment. He waited for the others to get ahead of them before getting up himself.  
Tony paused a moment then looked at the god. “You can go back to the tower and I’ll wire you a feed of the brief.”  
“Stark, Loki, move it.” Natasha looked at them sternly.  
"I'm fine." Loki replied. "Come on." Squaring his shoulders Loki walked a bit faster to catch up with the others.  
Quickly they all found themselves into the briefing room. Fury nodded as he looked all of them over. Other than a few bruises and scrapes everyone was just fine.  
“The weapons are destroyed.” Tony looked at Fury and spoke up after a moment of awkward silence. The director nodded.   
“Good. And hopefully, this is the last of the Chitauri weapons. Anything else Maggia has is someone else’s problem.”  
“Are you getting their computers?”  
Fury nodded again. “We need to find potential buyers and interrogate the people brought in. Best make sure there isn’t some big market for alien weaponry we need to know about.”  
"Anyone you already know that would buy?" Natasha asked.  
"Not yet but we have a list of the people rich enough to do it." Fury replied.  
"Why not send one of us in undercover?" Clint asked.  
"Because it would be obvious that it’s a ruse when a random name suddenly shows up. They'll have done their research and scouted out a few people they already want to sell to and would try to coax into buying from them." Loki explained.  
“You really know you’re way around dirty dealing. Anything you want to tell the rest of us?” Natasha gave the god an icy look as she spoke.  
“Guys, knock it off, Loki just helped us get rid of these weapons.”  
“Or just finished delivering them.”


	126. Chapter 126

Tony frowned at the assassin, but he could feel everyone else in the room questioning Loki’s actions.   
“He got rid of the weapons, alright?”  
"No." Loki said stopping Tony. "Agent Romanov and Barton you both may hate me but know this much, I've been to war more times then you will ever be able to figure out. I've trained and fought my way through it all. It's because of those skills you are alive today, without injury. But please, if I scare you so much then I will stop wasting what little power I have left and let you possibly die next time." Loki replied.  
"Brother that is not-"  
"Any of your damn business. I do not need you to defend me anymore you had your chance. I don't trust you anymore. Wonder if your new friends would trust you if they knew the truth." He snapped.  
Thor clenched his jaw as he looked at Loki. “Hold you grudges against me now Brother? After all this time?”  
Everyone paused and looked at the brothers questioningly. Natasha pursed her lips and frowned at Loki.   
“You made your own mistakes and stuck yourself here. No one’s buying the stories that you were some poor, mistreated kid growing up. All of us went through hell during our lives Loki, but none of us did what you did.”  
“Guys, that’s enough.” Tony tried to step in, but at the same time, he felt this was something that needed to come out. Maybe finally, everyone else could know the truth about Loki.   
"Tell me Thor, how well do your friends know you?" he asked.  
"Brother this is not the place." Thor replied.  
"Oh but it is. Tell me have you seen my son lately?" Loki asked him.  
Bruce, Clint, Nat and Steve all had matching looks on their faces. Loki had a kid, it had to be a lie.  
"Or better yet have you seen Fenrir? Or my daughter? There's a great deal that Thor does not say. He knows what he's done but he rather not tell it. Always having to be the good son. He would never tell you that I was raped in female form trying to save his life. I got pregnant and gave birth to that child. And no, I did not hate the child, I love it dearly. But while Odin ripped the child from my arms, Thor held me down." Loki said.  
"I never thought you would sink this low." Natasha said. "We all know you're a liar Loki, give it up. Thor wouldn't be that cruel."  
"Oh but he would. He did it again when I had my daughter. And a third time when my second son was born. Tell me Thor, do you even know how old he is? Or what he looks like? Do your friends even know you? Do they know what blind trust they place in you?"  
"Thor, please tell us he's lying so we can lock him up." Clint said.  
"I cannot, my brother is telling the truth of these events." Thor replied his head dropping and shoulders sagging as well.  
Everyone stared at Thor in shock. It couldn’t be true. For as much as they hated Loki, even Clint wouldn’t wish something like this on him. It was tense and silent in the room. Tony looked at Loki and felt his heart sink. Well, he guessed now he knew about the god’s children, though he wished it hadn’t been like this.   
Thor remained quiet as well, his head lowered in shame. “I thought I was protecting you Loki.” He spoke quietly and looked up at his brother with a heavy heart. “I thought…”  
“So this is true?” Clint looked at Thor appalled. “All of the shit he just said is true?”  
“Aye, it is.” Thor looked at his friends. “And I will hide it from it no more.”  
“Thor, how could you?” Natasha looked at the god in disbelief, but she didn’t dare look to Loki.   
"Protecting him by taking his children?" Steve questioned.  
"I thought in time he would forget." Thor confessed.  
"Doesn't look like he forgot." Fury commented from his side of the room. With what last bit of the energy Loki had, he used it to put himself back at the tower.  
Tony watched the god disappear then looked to the others. “Can we stop pretending he deserves everything you put him through?” The man stood from his seat, not even bothering to look at Thor. He didn’t want to get into a fight with the god as he left. He flew back to the tower as quickly as he could.   
“Jarvis, how’s Loki doing?”  
Thor stood quietly, his hands hanging loose at his sides. “I am so sorry Loki.” He spoke in Old Norse then left as well.   
"He's locked himself in his bathroom and is taking a much needed bath. Perhaps you should consider the same and leave him be for a while." Jarvis said.  
Tony sighed as he landed and the suit came off. He looked down the hall to Loki’s room then went to his own. He didn’t want to leave the god alone, but a little air would be good for him.  
There was a bolt of lightning outside and Tony frowned, not remembering anything about storms.   
“Anthony.”   
Tony looked over as Thor walked in. “He’s not in the mood right now Thor.”  
“I have not come to see Loki. I…” The blond pursed his lips. “I do not deserve his forgiveness. I came only to ensure he is well and that you will care for him.”  
Tony looked at Thor and nodded. “Yeah, of course I will.”  
Loki sat up when he heard the sounds of thunder boom across the sky.   
"It is alright, Mr. Laufeyson. Thor is not here to see you." Jarvis informed him.  
Thor nodded. “I never meant to hurt him as I have. I thought I was doing what was best for him.”  
“By taking his kids? You did this to him more than once Thor.”  
“I know!” Thor frowned and looked away, shaking his head slowly. “I cannot undo the wrongs I have done, the pain I have caused my brother.” Thor clenched his fists and took a shaky breath. “But that…was it truly what I did to him that caused this?” He looked at Tony lost and hurt and Tony couldn’t help himself.   
“Thor…” Tony started speaking and he felt small charges of electricity in the air. “It’s not just you. I mean, that has a lot to do with it but this, the Chitauri, that wasn’t because of you.”  
“Then what was it? What could I have done to spare him this fate?”  
He felt the words sitting in the back of his throat, the truth ready to spring out of him. “I don’t, I mean I’m not…”  
Thor wished he could undo everything he'd done to his brother. If it would have meant a different outcome for them. Thor had no answers either. His own actions had caused part of this. He was the domino that started it all. Looking back, Thor realized just how much pain he'd put the green eyed man through since their childhood.   
“Please tell my brother that I am sorry.”  
Tony nodded, keeping his lips pressed together. Thor put a hand on his shoulder, much more gently than he normally would.   
“You are a good friend Anthony Stark. I thank you.” Thor turned to leave and Tony suddenly spoke up again.  
“He was tortured.”  
Thor stopped and looked back at Tony confused. “What?”  
“By the Chitauri. When Loki fell, he ended up across the universe. Thanos found him, and let the Chitauri torture him. Thanos put him under mind control and sent him to earth.” The inventor licked his lips, feeling his mouth go dry. “It wasn’t just you.”  
“Why did he not tell me?” Thor stared at Tony shocked. “I must speak to him.”   
“No, you can’t.” Tony stopped the god from going any further. “You can’t mention it to him.”  
“He is my brother!”  
“I know he is Thor but do you honestly think he wants to talk about that? He has nightmares as it is. The last thing he needs is for you to bring it up again.”  
"He suffers from nightmares?" Thor asked. Thor had never known his brother to do such. Ever when they went to war and returned multiple times he didn’t think anything of it. But he never asked. Loki would always go about his day like nothing happened.  
Tony nodded. “Yeah, they get pretty bad. Look, it’s never one thing that makes you do the things you do, alright? His coming to earth and trying to take over had nothing to do with you. That was Thanos using him like a puppet. Everything else is partially your fault.”  
Thor swallowed thickly. “He was incarcerated Anthony Stark. His fall was because of me. His attack on Jotunheim was because of what I have done.”  
“If I remember correctly, your dad had a lot to do with it too Thor.”   
“I could have done something. I could have stood at his side I could have,” Thor frowned. “I could have protected him.”  
Tony looked at the blond then put a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t change it now Thor. All you can do is try to make things right.”  
"How can I when he will not let me?" Thor asked. Thor wanted nothing more but Loki pushed him away at every turn. He couldn't blame him.  
“Just give him time. Don’t force him into anything, be there for him when he needs it. He’ll forgive you a lot quick if you don’t ask.”  
Thor nodded. "Thank you for taking care of him." Thor left after that.   
Jarvis waited a few moments before saying something.  
"Would you like me to order dinner, Sir?"  
Tony stood alone in the tower then sighed. “Get something for Loki.” He grabbed one of his green drinks and headed down to the lab.   
"Of course, sir." Jarvis ordered Loki's usual meal from the Italian restaurant they liked so much ad had it delivered.  
Tony stayed in his lab that night. He tinkered away on some upgrades for his suit chatting with Dum-E and Butterfingers about what had happened.   
“I guess it’s better this way. Now everybody else knows the truth and it’s not just me.”   
Dum-E beeped curiously and Tony scoffed.   
“About his kids. Come on Dum-E keep up.”  
The bot beeped again.  
"Sir, Doctor Banner is here to see you." Jarvis said.   
At that moment, Bruce walked into the lab.  
Tony turned back to look at his friend and gave a little smile. “Hey.”  
"Your boyfriend just turned everything upside down." Bruce said. "Everyone is starting to question just how much of the time Loki actually lies and how much he tells the truth. And if that’s just a few of the things Thor has done to him, what else is on that is just a few things Thor has done. What else is on the list? Even Fury is starting to question it."  
“It’s a long list Bruce. A really long list.” Tony shook his head. “It’s not worth it to ask. If Loki wants to tell us, he will. If not then we’ll just never know.”  
“Did you know about all of that?”  
Tony shook his head. “I knew he had kids and I knew they were taken away but I didn’t know that much. When he said Thor helped take his kids away, I thought it was something different.”  
"No wonder he doesn't trust him. The others are starting to wonder just how well they should trust Thor. Loki was right. We did trust Thor blindly."  
“We didn’t have a whole lot to go on. Thor came in and helped us with Loki and the Chitauri. I mean, we don’t know anything about Natasha but we trust her too.”  
"Well you've known her for years and fury trusts her as did Coulson." Bruce pointed out.  
“We’ve known Thor for a long time too. I’m not saying you guys aren’t right, I’m saying none of us knows the truth about anybody.”  
“That’s not true.” Bruce looked at Tony and gave a little smile. “You were the only one that believed Loki.”  
“He trusted me because of my roguish good looks. It doesn’t count.”  
Bruce rolled his eyes. "He trusted you because you told him he could." Bruce replied.  
Tony shrugged. “He knew I wasn’t lying. And I let him punch me a couple times, I think that helped.”  
Bruce nodded. "If you need me I'll be in my room tonight.”  
Tony looked at his friend and gave a slight nod. “Loki’s locked up in his room.”  
“You can’t always fix everything Tony.”  
The inventor sighed out through his nose. “I know.”  
"Was it just me or did he look a bit off earlier? Are you sure he's okay? And I'm talking about before the fall out confession."  
“I don’t know.” Tony shook his head. “There’s still a lot he doesn’t tell me. He seemed fine the other day.”


	127. Chapter 127

“Define fine.”  
Tony grinned. “Well…”  
“Are you serious? You’re sleeping with him?” Bruce stared at the god wide eyed.   
“What? We’re dating. And I thought the lab would be nice to…”  
“Shut up. Shut up, stop talking.”  
Tony chuckled. “He seemed fine. I mean, he misses his kids but that’s all I know.”  
Finally getting out of the bath tub, Loki dried and dressed himself.  
"I've ordered you something to eat. It's in the kitchen and Mr. Stark is down in the lab with doctor Banner."  
Bruce nodded at Tony’s words and sighed. “And what about today?”  
“Bruce, there’s a whole other side of Loki that we can’t even start to understand. I’m surprised he said half the things he did today, which he’ll probably want everyone to forget about.”  
"Tony, no one is going to forget that. As much as they don't like him that's not something you wish on a guy."  
“Yeah but he doesn’t want them to remember. It’s not about how we feel about him Bruce. Or do you honestly think Nat and Barton are going to stop hating him just because of this?” Tony looked away from the man. “He wants to forget it happened. And he never wants anyone to bring it up again.”  
"You have the most confusing boyfriend ever." Bruce said. But Bruce was starting to see the point. Loki wanted people to see that he had feelings and wasn't as hateful and evil as people were making him out to be.  
Tony smiled at those words. “Yeah, I guess I do. Although, to his credit I’m also pretty confusing.”  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You hungry at all?" Bruce asked.  
“Nah, not really.” Tony ran a hand over his face. “You?”  
"I'm always hungry." Bruce said.  
Tony stood. “I’ll buy you lunch. Or dinner. What time is it?”  
"It’s ike seven something." Bruce answered. "Have you eaten?"  
“Yeah I ate something.”   
“What did you eat?”  
“A bagel.”   
"Good enough for me." he said. "If you got food in the fridge, I'll be fine." Bruce said.  
“Knock yourself out.” Tony walked upstairs with Bruce and looked towards Loki’s room. “Think I should go and check on him?”  
"He's asleep now Sir." Jarvis answered. "He ate the food I had delivered and went to sleep."  
Tony nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. “At least he’s not pacing anymore.”  
“That’s an improvement.” Bruce chimed.   
“I guess it is.”  
"Try and eat something for me before you go to bed." Bruce said.  
“I will, I will.” Tony waved Bruce off. “You get something to eat.”  
Bruce nodded and ended up making himself a sandwich.  
Tony grabbed a drink out of the fridge and sat at the island.   
"Anything else you want to talk about?"  
Tony looked at his friend and shrugged. “You find a girlfriend yet? Or a boyfriend?”  
"I'm straight and no. I’m not looking to date Tony."  
“I just thought you’d be looking for somebody to hang out with. You know, besides me.” Tony smiled playfully.  
"I’m just fine on my own." he said.  
“Alright, if you say so.” Tony sipped his drink. “I’m just saying, it might be nice to have someone to hold at night.”  
"That would be amazing but no one is going to want someone who is scared to have sex because they might hurt the other person."  
Tony sighed, knowing that sadly, this was true. And everyone knew Bruce’s face; they’d never agree to dating the Hulk. “Well then let’s drink on it.” He handed the man a beer.  
Bruce shook his head. "You know I don’t drink and you know you shouldn’t drink."  
“It’s just one beer. That doesn’t even count as drinking.” Tony took another swig of his beer.   
"You say so." Bruce replied.  
“I do say so.” Tony finished off the beer.   
Bruce finished his sandwich and settled down.  
Tony stood and wiped the crumbs from his mouth. “I’m going to be in the lab if you need anything.”  
"Alright." Bruce said to him.  
Tony headed back down to the lab with one of his green drinks and pulled up one of his projects.  
Loki woke up the following morning with a long sigh. He had to face the day and Anthony. "I hope he doesn't bring it up."  
Tony was back up in the kitchen the next morning, sipping coffee. He’d decided to sleep on the couch for a few hours that night while he waited for the paint on his suit to dry.   
“How’s it coming Jarvis?”  
“Very well Sir, and perhaps next time you will listen when I tell you to back away.”  
“I didn’t think you’d spray me.” Tony rolled his eyes. He’d had fun trying to wash off all the paint last night.  
Coming out of his room Loki walked into the kitchen. "Good morning."  
“Morning. You hungry? I kind of feel like having waffles today.” Tony looked through his phone to see who he could call to bring waffles.   
"If you can get more maple syrup I get breakfast started." Loki said.  
“Perfect.” Tony grinned, eager for Loki’s waffles. He swore the god put magic in them, they were so delicious. “Did you eat last night?”  
"I did. Did you?" Loki asked getting started on the batter.  
Tony shrugged. “I ate a bagel with some cream cheese. I wasn’t that hungry.”  
Loki nodded. Loki wasn't going to tell him that he ate the entire thing of food that Jarvis ordered for him.  
Tony went and got the syrup as it was delivered then darted back to the kitchen. “Oh hey, I made something for you.” Tony smiled, clearly proud of himself. He dashed off to the lab then came back moments later with his hands behind his back.  
Loki looked up when he came back. "Now what did you make?" He asked.  
Tony stood in front of the god with his hands behind his back still. “Pick a hand.”  
"Left." Loki said, looking back over his shoulder.  
Tony pouted. “It doesn’t count if you’re cheating.” The inventor pulled out what looked like Loki’s helmet, but much smaller. “It’s your own nightlight. You know, for those rare occasions when I’m not good enough to keep the nightmares away.” He smiled.   
Loki made a face and rolled his eyes. "Thank you." he said.  
“Hey, don’t make that face. I made this with a lot of love.”   
"I thought you were my night light?" he asked.  
“This is just in case I can’t be there for you.” Tony smiled at the god. He wanted to ask about last night, and make sure Loki was alright after his little argument with Thor yesterday. At the same time, he knew Loki didn’t like to talk about those kinds of things.   
"Thank you. Now come eat breakfast." Loki said.  
Tony grinned and nodded, ready for some waffles. He grabbed some plates and set the table for both of them.   
Dishing out their breakfast, Loki sat down to eat with him.  
Tony served some fresh coffee and sat with the god, humming as he bite into his waffle. “This is so good.”  
“Good to know." Loki smiled.  
“You need to teach me how to make waffles.” Tony took another bite then sipped his coffee.  
"You wouldn’t make it as well as I do." Loki replied.  
“Oh, so I don’t deserve to be taught, huh?” Tony rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll have Jarvis teach me. And I’m going to make waffles so amazing, you’ll be begging me to make them.”  
"I use magic when I make them." Loki replied.  
Tony stared at Loki shocked. “You can’t do that, it’s cheating!”   
"You never said I had to cook like a human."  
“You just don’t want me to learn to make waffles like you do.”  
Loki rolled his eyes. "Well if we ever break up, I want you to miss everything."  
Tony paused as he looked at the god and there was the faintest look of fear in his eyes. “I don’t want to miss you. So let’s not do the breaking up part.”  
"We're not." Loki replied.  
“Good.” Tony said in a definitive tone then finished his waffle.  
He smiled at him. "I'm going to go get settled in bed." Loki told Tony. Getting up, Loki cleared his plate.  
Tony pouted. “You’re just gonna leave me alone?” He huffed then picked up his plate as well.  
"Anthony please I want to be alone for a little while." Being alone was the closest thing Loki had to hiding. Least he wasn't pacing.  
Tony sighed but nodded. “Just don’t forget that I’m here.” Tony wanted so badly to ask Loki how he was, but he knew he wouldn’t get an answer. Well, not the honest answer he wanted to hear anyway.   
"I won't. I'll see you for lunch." Loki stated.  
Tony watched Loki go then finished cleaning up the kitchen.   
“Sir, Harry Osborn is here to see you.”  
Tony perked up, slightly surprised. “Let him in.”   
"Hey Stark, long time, no see." he smiled.  
“No kidding!” Tony went over and greeted the younger man. “You’ve gotten so tall since the last time I saw you! Sit down, make yourself at home. You thirsty?”  
Harry smiled and nodded. “Yeah well I’ve grown a lot since high school. Umm, just water’s fine.” The young man sat down at the bar. “Heard you’ve got a new houseguest.”  
Tony tensed slightly and looked at Harry. “Oh yeah?”   
"Yeah. That can't be easy. Tell me is he as bad as they say he is?" Harry asked.  
"Well I wouldn’t say so. Considering that they don't exactly know me." Loki said from a few feet away.  
Harry tensed slightly as he looked at Loki, but he didn’t have the same gleam in his eyes as others did. Then again, considering who his father was, Harry didn’t exactly feel he had much right to judge.   
“Sorry.”  
“Nah, he’s great once you get to know him. And he makes the best waffles.” Tony grinned at Loki as he spoke. “Loki this is Harry. Harry, this is Loki.”  
Loki scoffed as he got something out of the fridge and went back to his room.  
"Well I made a fine first impression." Harry said.  
“Don’t worry about him. Loki’s skeptical of everybody he meets. He’s a lot nicer when you get to know him.”  
Harry nodded, though he still seemed tentative. “He hasn’t had to fight my father yet, has he?”  
Tony looked at Harry and shook his head. “It’s not because of your dad. I promise.” He offered a smile then handed Harry a drink.   
Loki wasn't in the mood for anything.   
"Sir?"  
"I'm fine Jarvis." He said.  
“So is he really crazy or is that just the news talking?”  
“That’s just the news. He was mind-controlled through the whole invasion.”  
“Seriously?”  
Tony nodded. “There’s something way worse out there that wants this planet. I don’t know why, but we’re not gonna be happy when he gets here.”  
"Should I dig myself an underground bunker and stayed hidden?" he asked.  
Tony looked at Harry and pursed his lips a bit. “If I thought that would help, I’d have built one already. This guy is bigger and badder than the Chitauri. He was using them like puppets and everyone’s freaking out about Loki.”  
"That can't be easy." Harry frowned. "But at least he gets to say I told you so when you guys finally meet this guy."


	128. Chapter 128

“Yeah, everyone’s gonna eat it that day.” Tony shook his head. “I’m just hoping that doesn’t happen until we’re ready. Loki hasn’t told me much about him, but what he has said is scary enough.”  
"I mean it’s hard to think that after everything that happened with him there is something scarier out there." Harry replied. "But I’m thinking of getting out of New York for a while. Check out a life in Cali maybe."  
“Moving huh? Tired of the city?”  
Harry chuckled and nodded. “That and a couple other things.” The young man looked at his hands. “MJ’s and Pete got married. I’m happy for em.”  
“Married already? Isn’t Parker twelve?”  
Harry laughed. “Not since sixth grade Tony.”  
The inventor simply rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You kids need to stop getting older.”  
"Feeling old Stark?" Harry teased. "What are you like 35 or something?"  
“It’s not polite to ask people their age.” Tony narrowed his eyes at Harry then sipped his coffee.   
"No, it’s not polite to ask a woman her age or dress size." Harry replied.  
“Yeah, whatever. Let’s change the subject.”  
Harry grinned and nodded. “Alright.”  
“So why California?” Tony looked at Harry curiously. He never thought Harry would be the type to travel around much.  
"Change of scenery. I'm sick of New York." he said. He was sick of New York, his father, love. "I just want to go to a place where no one knows my name. I already found an apartment."  
“That’s good. And if you need anything just call me, alright? And no crazy parties.”  
"I'm not you." Harry said. "But I thought I'd let you know. Take care of yourself."  
“You do the same. I’ll keep an eye on your dad while you’re gone.” Tony gave a small smile.  
"Thanks Tony." Harry said. "I'll keep in touch. Stay out of trouble."  
“You stay out of trouble.” Tony smiled and walked Harry out. He’d miss seeing the young man, but he knew Harry had to get out of the city. It wasn’t good for him to be in the same place as his father. Everyone knew Harry’s face in New York, and there wasn’t a single person that didn’t treat him terribly for it.  
Once Harry had gone, Loki came back out of his room. "Who was he?" Loki asked.  
Tony looked back at the god then sat at the island again. “Harry’s a friend of mine. I knew him when we were younger; his dad and my dad worked together a little bit and I’ve worked with his dad before.”   
Loki hummed. "Alright." Refilling his glass, Loki went back to his room.  
Tony watched Loki then sighed and grabbed a bottle of water before going down to the lab.  
Loki finally came out a few hours later for something to eat and fixed lunch for them.  
Tony was bobbing his head as he worked on one of his machines. He wasn’t really sure what it did anymore, but it was fun to tinker with.  
"Jarvis, ask Anthony to come up for lunch." he said.  
"Of course." The AI said. "Mr. Stark, it’s time for lunch."  
“Lunch huh? What did you get me Jarvis?” Tony set his safety glasses to the side and took off his gloves.  
"Mr. Laufeyson has made lunch for the both of you." Jarvis replied.  
Tony paused and headed upstairs. “Something smells good. What did you make?”  
"Chicken soup." He replied.  
Tony smiled a bit and nodded. “Thought it smelled familiar. My mom used to make it for me when I was sick.”  
Loki hummed settling out a large bowl of it for himself and Stark. "Well come on and eat then."  
Tony quickly served himself and sat down with Loki to eat. “You know I think you’d like Harry if you got to know him.”  
Loki only hummed in response to what his lover said.  
Tony pursed his lips a bit. It didn’t seem Loki was in much of a talking mood, though Tony could only guess the god was still upset about the incident with Thor. “His father is the Green Goblin. Heard of him?”  
"No." Loki replied.   
"When the first incident happened, Mr. Laufeyson had not yet come to earth nor had Thor. The second time he was still in SHIELD’s hands." Jarvis explained.  
Tony nodded. “You’ll probably meet him. We deal with the guy a lot when Spidey can’t handle him alone. Anyway, Harry’s dad has a really bad reputation, and Harry gets a lot of shit for it.”  
Loki nodded.   
"Sir does it not seem odd that you haven't heard from Dr. Osborn these past few months?" Jarvis asked.  
“He’s probably in a cave somewhere plotting his revenge on Spider Man or trapped in a cell somewhere.” Tony shook his head but he was suddenly worried. “Do you have a location on him?”  
"I do not Sir. I've made recent checks on him ad nothing could be found."  
“Keep an eye on Harry for me.” Tony knew how much Norman liked to trail his son. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand, but Norman wasn’t exactly the nicest father. And the Goblin only made it worse.   
"Always, Sir." Jarvis replied. "He is shipping his belongings out tomorrow and then has a flight for the following day." he said.  
“Alright. Make sure Norman doesn’t make an unexpected visit.” Tony ran his fingers through his hair then finished his coffee.  
"Sir I cannot locate him. There's no paper trail." Jarvis replied  
“Then focus on Harry. Make sure he’s alright.”   
"Always Sir." he replied.  
Tony nodded and stood to get more coffee. He just wanted to make sure Harry was safe.   
Loki had another bowl of soup and called it quits. "Do you need anything else?" Loki asked.  
Tony looked over at Loki and pursed his lips slightly. “Well it would have been nice to see you for longer than ten minutes but since you’re busy, no. I don’t need anything else from my so-said boyfriend. You can go lock yourself up in your room now. I’ll be in the lab.”  
"Stop it Anthony. You make it sound like you never get attention. What part of any of this are you not understanding that I want to be alone? I didn't even want to eat, I stomached it for your sake. You knew this was coming. You know I have days where I don't want to be bothered with anyone. Why would you think you would be let in? I warned you."  
“Yeah I guess I just thought that warning meant that you wouldn’t try to shove me away the same way you do with Thor.” Tony frowned. “You think I don’t understand that you’re hurt? I do understand! But you’re the one always telling me to face my past and make peace with it. I guess I forgot the part where you’re allowed to be a hypocritical ass when you feel like it!”   
"Oh yes I'll face my past and remember that I don't know where my flesh and blood is. Is that what you want me to dwell on but in all truth I want to forget." Loki reminded him. "Or better yet do you want me to talk about? Did you not hear enough of that yesterday?" Loki headed back to his room and slammed the door shut. Now he was pissed off and the anger in him refused to let him sit down.  
Tony clenched his jaw as he stood there. Everyone’s life was a mess and yet Loki was the only one that used it to shove others away. It was starting to feel just like the first days when Loki had arrived. The god could snap at Tony for clinging to his painful past, but no one was allowed to tell him to let it go. The inventor grabbed a bottle from the bar and headed into the lab.   
“Sir…”  
“Mute.” Tony snapped at the AI and got back to work.  
"Sir please consider your decision to drink." Jarvis said. If Stark drank then Loki would be upset with him.   
Loki hadn't dealt with the loss of his children. Not properly. He'd kept it bottled in for centuries.  
“Unless you’re also going to lecture Loki then be quiet Jarvis. I’m not in the mood.” Tony took a large swig from the bottle and pulled up some screens. One showed Harry and the other, which was supposed to be for Norman, showed nothing.   
Jarvis sighed. Stark couldn’t even let Loki mope about for one day.  
Tony stayed hulled up in his lab the rest of the day and into the night. It was nearly two in the morning before he realized he was being silly about this. Well, maybe not silly but a bit stingy. He knew better than anyone that coping with the past was difficult, and everyone had their own way of doing it. The inventor ran his hands over his face and went upstairs.   
“Sir.”  
“I’m not going to bother him.” Tony barked at Jarvis then got some pudding out of the fridge. He took a post-it note and wrote ‘sorry’ on it before placing it outside Loki’s room. It was a shitty apology, but he hoped Loki would understand. Tony knocked once on the bedroom door then went back to his lab.   
Loki didn’t find the message until morning. Reading it, he rolled his eyes and headed down to the lab to bring the passed out Stark on upstairs.  
Tony had gotten a good buzz that night. There was a mostly empty bottle next to him and different pieces of metal and wiring all around.  
Sighing, Loki levitated Stark upstairs to his own bedroom and got him settled in and comfortable.  
Tony grumbled and immediately curled up to the pillow Loki had been using when they slept together.  
Going back into the kitchen, Loki got breakfast going for himself.  
Tony woke sometime later, surprised that he was in his room. Had he stumbled up into his bedroom?  
"Good afternoon, Sir." Jarvis said.  
“Afternoon huh?” Tony yawned and stretched then got out of the bed. “How’d I get up here?”  
"Mr. Laufeyson brought you to bed sir." Jarvis replied.  
“Oh.” Tony ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Hopefully he hadn’t pissed the god off.   
"Mr. Laufeyson has fixed you something to eat."  
“He didn’t make eggs, did he?” Tony splashed some water on his face then walked out of the room.   
"No, he made you a sandwich for lunch." Jarvis replied.  
Tony nodded and walked into the kitchen. He looked at Loki but quickly flicked his eyes. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”  
"Oh now you understand." Loki replied.  
Tony bit back a remark and pursed his lips. “I don’t like it when you lock yourself up in your room cause then you start getting depressed again. I didn’t want to see you go back to pacing and rocking on your bed like a mental patient. Next time I won’t worry about you.” The inventor got some water out of the fridge, suddenly not feeling hungry.   
"I'm not saying don't worry about me but what you fail to realize is I deal with emotions differently than you do. And after the day before yesterday, you're lucky I left my room at all." he said. "One day Stark, one. That's all I wanted so I could wallow in my self-pity and I can't even have that."  
“Yeah, I handle emotions by getting drunk and staying in my lab, but you don’t let me do that. So I’m sorry that I didn’t let you waste away in your room for months without eating or sleeping. I get that you’re sad Loki. I’m not telling you not to get mad about what happened, but I don’t see how torturing yourself helps.” Tony looked away from the god. “I’ll be in the lab if you need me. Take all the time you need.”  
"I wasn't torturing myself. Not like you do. You drink so you can feel numb. I didn’t want to leave my room because I already was. At least give me some credit to cook for you and eat."   
“I do.” Tony turned sharply to face the god. “That was why I didn’t want you locked up in your room. I didn’t want you going back to not eating like you did before. At least if you were out here I could make sure you weren’t making yourself crazy.” Tony ran a hand over his face. “The first time I ever got drunk was after I heard my parents died. That’s not grieving, and neither is being alone in a dark room all day.”  
"And again I asked for one day." Loki snapped back. "One."  
Tony looked away again, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry. I was just worried about you.”  
"Well just worry about me and come eat." Loki said.  
“I’m not hungry.” Tony took a large drink from his water.   
Loki hummed. He didn’t push the matter though.  
The god would need time to cry about what had happened the other day. Tony hated seeing Loki cooped up in his room, but it was best to give him space.   
"If you want me I'll be in the library." Loki told him.


	129. Chapter 129

“Jarvis got you new books.” Tony looked at Loki then headed down to his lab. Might as well get some work done.  
"Thank you." Loki went into the library and started to put the books where he saw fit.  
He hated fighting with Loki. Tony knew the guy needed to get things off his chest, but he hated watching Loki lock himself away. Maybe this would teach the inventor to keep his big mouth shut.   
Loki ventured out finally. He wasn't as drawn in as he had been before but he still wasn’t in much of a talking mood.  
“How do you mess this up?” Tony snarled angrily at one of his machines. Both Dum-E and Butterfingers beeped sadly, their mechanical arms wilting.   
“I asked you to hand me the grease. All you had to do was hand it to me!” Tony grumbled as he tried to wipe thick grease off his face and arms. The real trick would be getting it out of his hair.   
Jarvis sighed. Ever since Loki had reprogrammed him, the AI had a few extra traits and even though Stark had fixed him, some still stuck.  
“Don’t sigh at me like that.” Tony frowned at the ceiling then went upstairs to try and wash the grease out of his hair.   
"You asked for it, Sir." Jarvis replied to him.  
“Asked for what?” Tony asked agitated then stripped down and climbed into the shower.  
"You asked Butterfingers to pass you something instead of Dum-E. When will you learn that between the two of them, they make a decent machine?"  
Tony groaned and got under the hot water. “Yeah, I know. Can you remind me why I don’t just scrap them and build new machines?”  
"Because they are your babies and you love them." Jarvis replied.  
“Yeah, yeah.” Tony didn’t have the heart to take Dum-E and Butterfingers apart, they’d been with him so long. Almost as long as Jarvis.   
After almost two hours, Tony finally got all the grease out of his hair and off his skin. Granted, he would still feel just a little slick for a few days, but he wasn’t about to cut off his hair.   
"Better now, Sir?" Jarvis asked turning up the heat in the room.  
“A little. I’m just slippery now.” Tony took the towel off his waist and reached for his clothes.   
"Might I recommend a soap that is designed for grease?" Jarvis asked.  
“That’s what I was using. Kind of.” Tony huffed and went into the living room, flopping onto the couch. “Are they cleaning the mess they made?”  
"They are, Sir." Jarvis replied. "Ms. Potts wants you ready for a meeting tomorrow."  
Tony grumbled and walked to the kitchen for some water. “What about?”  
"It’s just another board meeting, sir. It’s been a month since your last one."  
“Fine, fine. Just keep it in my calendar then.” Tony went over to the bar and grabbed a beer. “How’s Harry?”  
"He is fine for now, sir. He is at the airport waiting for his flight." Jarvis replied.  
“Norman hasn’t tried to call him?”  
“No Sir. Mr. Osborn may not be aware of his son’s move.”  
“Let’s hope not.” Tony took a swig from his drink then scrolled through his tablet. “How’s Loki?”  
"Reading, Sir. He's been studying the climates of Earth and the different regions."  
Tony nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. “Alright.” The inventor finished his beer then headed back down to his lab.  
"Do you need anything else, Sir?" he asked him.  
“No, I’m good.” Tony went back over to the table where he’d been working. He wasn’t surprised there was still grease everywhere.  
"There was a lot of grease, Sir. Perhaps you would like to venture upstairs for a few hours whilst I sanitize the lab."  
Tony huffed and went back upstairs again. Now what was he going to do?  
"Perhaps you could try talking to Mr. Laufeyson again." Jarvis suggested. "Simply leave the last three days alone."  
Tony sighed and sat at the bar. “You’re always telling me to leave him alone. Give him space Sir, let him grieve Sir, you’re being annoying Sir. Then I finally do what you tell me to do and you tell me to do the opposite.”   
"He has calmed down and you keep bringing up something that he doesn’t wish to talk about."  
“I only brought it up because…! You know what? Forget it.” Tony was tired of arguing. He got it, he’d messed up and this was his fault.   
Loki finally came out of the library. "Jarvis, please order something heavy." he said.  
“Something heavy Sir? May I ask what in particular?”  
Tony had a few holograms up when he heard Loki’s voice in the hall. Was the god still angry with him? Should he apologize? Should he just not say anything?  
"Order the eggplant Parmesan, chicken Marsala and vodka ravioli." he said.   
“Of course Mr. Laufeyson. Also, Mr. Stark is pouting again. He is distraught over how to approach you.”  
Tony sat at the bar still, nibbling on his lower lip and rubbing his chin.   
"Anthony, I'm ordering dinner what do you want?" He asked. There was an ice breaker for them.  
Tony blinked, brought out of his thoughts, though he hadn’t really heard the question. “Umm, yes?” He looked over at Loki. “I’m sorry, what did you ask?”  
"I said I'm ordering dinner, what do you want to eat?"  
“Oh.” Tony thought for a moment and shrugged. “Some Chinese I guess.”  
Loki ordered the usual for Stark. "It should all be here within the next hour."  
Tony nodded, trying to think of something they could talk about. “You know we haven’t been to the Malibu house in a while. Might be nice to go there for a bit, get some vacation time.”  
"But it's the rainy season." Loki said.  
“Is it?” Tony looked at the god curiously then shrugged. “Alright, then we’ll go somewhere else. I mean, you’re allowed to leave the city now.”  
"He's allowed to leave the city but not the country." Jarvis reminded him.  
“Then we’ll stay in country.” Tony shrugged then looked at Tony. “Oh, you know where you need to go? Texas.” Tony grinned.  
"What’s a Texas?" Loki asked.  
"It's not a what, it’s a where." Jarvis replied bringing up a map and highlighting Texas.  
"What's so great about it?"  
“Nothing really, but it’s a change of scenery.” Tony shrugged. “We could go to Las Vegas. Or maybe Michigan. Should be snowing there soon.”  
"I miss the snow." Loki replied. "Could we go?"  
“Yeah. We can leave today if you want.” Tony was itching to get out of the city for a while. This was the whole reason he’d moved to Malibu; he preferred not being surrounded by other people.   
"Can we leave in the morning? I just ordered food and I very well want to eat it and get some sleep." Loki said.  
“Sure.” Tony shrugged. “Jarvis get us a hotel, would you?”  
“Of course Sir. Your jet will be ready in the morning.”  
Loki nodded. "Alright then. Will we be staying together or in separate rooms?"  
“We can do either one. If you want to have your own room, I can have Jarvis book it for you.” Tony wanted to share a room with Loki, but he didn’t want to push his luck.  
"I'd rather share with you." Loki replied.  
Tony smiled. “Then we’ll get a single suite.”   
“Everything is booked and paid for Sir.”  
“Thanks Jarv.”  
"You're welcome, Sir." he said.  
Their food arrived soon after and Tony sat with Loki at the island to eat.   
“You know, we could get a cabin out there. There are resorts in the mountains we could go to if you want that over a hotel.”  
Loki opened all of his food containers and tucked in. It was a great deal more than what he usually ate but surprising managed to put it away.  
“Don’t make yourself sick.” Tony said with a smile and ate his own meal.   
"I'm not." He replied.  
Tony nodded and took another bite of his meal.   
“Sir, you have a message from Harry. He would like to inform you he is due to arrive in California within the next two hours.”  
“Good, good.”  
"Are you worried for him?" Loki asked him.  
Tony looked at the god and pursed his lips a bit. “Mostly cause of his dad, yeah. Norman…has issues. And he keeps trying to drag Harry down with him. I grew up with that kid. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”  
Loki nodded. "I can see how you feel attached to him."  
Tony smiled a bit. “We grew up together, kind of. Our dads worked together on a couple of projects. I’m older than he is but neither of us have siblings, so we got kind of close.”  
"So he's your adopted little brother." Loki clarified.  
“In a way. Our dads were a lot alike. Drunk, mean, abusive. But my dad was always nice to Harry, and his dad was always nice to me. So we’d pretend that we had normal dads and we became friends. After his dad’s accident,” Tony sighed. “Everything changed. Norman just lost it.”  
"I'm sorry." Loki said. Odin had never beat them. He wasn't cruel and perhaps for a time, he had cared about the Jotun runt.  
Tony shook his head. “No point crying about it now. My dad’s dead, Harry’s dad’s on that path. We’re both just sitting around, waiting for things to change when we know they won’t.”   
Loki nodded. "Understood."  
Tony looked at Loki then at his food. He quiet for a moment before taking a bite.   
When Loki finished, he cleaned up their take-out containers and threw them out before washing the forks and glasses they'd used.  
Tony watched the god as he cleaned up. He couldn’t help smiling a bit; he never would have thought Loki would be such a polite house guest.   
With everything cleaned away, Loki turned back to Stark. "Are you coming to bed?"  
Tony blinked at the question curiously. “Alone or with you?”  
"With me." Loki replied.  
Tony smiled and quickly stood, going over to the god. “Alright, then I guess it’s bed time.”  
Loki nodded. Heading for the bedroom, he changed and collapsed into the bed.  
Tony was already in what he considered pajamas and he got into the bed with Loki. He put one arm around the god’s waist lazily.   
Shuffling closer to him, the man settled down and got comfortable.  
Tony pulled the god close and held him tight, the light of his reactor peeking out from between them. He wanted to apologize to Loki again, but he knew he’d best leave things the way they were.  
That was easier than bringing it up again. He didn't want apologies or pity. After it was said, he wanted it to be forgotten and never mentioned.  
Tony closed his eyes and held Loki close, letting their legs get tangled together.   
Loki was glad to have this back. Tucked under the blankets with his lover.  
Tony smiled a bit to himself as he lay there. It felt nice to have Loki back in his arms again.  
Morning came for them but nothing that would stop them from traveling.  
Tony was up bright and early with Loki and he packed a few things. He was sure to take all of his warm clothes; he wasn’t built for the cold.   
Loki took what he normally wore for the better of it. He wouldn’t know it was cold so it hardly mattered to him.  
Tony stifled a yawn and set his things out. “You ready to go?”  
"Ready when you are." he replied.  
Tony smiled at the god and they headed to the car. He drove them to the runway where a jet waited for them.   
"This time they can't take it away from us." He said with a smile.  
Tony chuckled and gave a nod. “You’re right about that.” He got onto the jet and relaxed into one of the chairs.   
Loki settled into his seat on the jet and leaned against Tony. "How long will this flight be?"  
Tony shrugged. “Two, three hours? Shouldn’t take too long; we’re not that far.”   
Loki nodded. "Alright." he smiled.  
Tony leaned back in his seat and relaxed. “You can watch a movie during the trip if you want.” Tony nodded at the screen.  
"No, I’m fine. Unless you pick something."  
“No, I think I’m gonna take a nap.” Tony yawned and snuggled back into the seat.


	130. Chapter 130

Settling against him, Loki took one as well.  
Tony adjusted himself so he and Loki could sleep more comfortably during the ride. He yawned once more then fell asleep.  
Going to sleep made the trip go by a great deal faster.   
"Anthony, it's time to wake up." Loki said, placing a kiss to his cheek to make him come around.  
Tony grumbled and smiled a bit before opening his eyes. He yawned and stretched. “Hmm, we there?”  
"Yes." He replied nuzzling the man.  
Tony yawned again then pressed a kiss to Loki’s cheek. “Alright, let’s go. There’s a warm hotel room waiting for us.” He smiled.   
"For someone who doesn’t like the cold, you seem to enjoy bedding a frost giant."  
Tony looked at Loki and grinned. “Hey, that’s different. I can handle your cold. In fact, I like it. But this,” He gestured at the light snow falling outside. “If I can avoid that, I will.”  
Loki chuckled. Stepping outside in the snow, Loki smiled. He felt fine in it. Everyone had always had extra cloaks, and thick under layers for the armor, not him.  
Tony shuddered but he would be fine with his jacket. He looked around at the snow then watched Loki. “Like it?”  
"I do." Loki smiled. "This feels nice." He said.  
Tony smiled at the god, watching him in the snow. “Glad you’re happy.”  
"Come on your nose is starting to turn red."  
“Yeah, I can’t feel my toes.” Tony quickly headed into the hotel and their things were waiting for them up in the suite.   
"I've stood in the snow since being released. It doesn’t bother me anymore."  
Tony sighed as they got inside and took off his heavy, winter clothes. “Well enjoy it. It’ll be snowing the whole time we’re here.”  
"I'll keep you as warm as I can." He smiled.  
Tony walked over to Loki and put his arms around the god. He felt a sharp chill coming off Loki, but he didn’t let go. “Good.” Tony smiled and leaned up for a kiss. He honestly hated how much shorter he was than Loki.  
Loki returned the kiss wholeheartedly.  
Tony closed his eyes slowly, enjoying the kiss and the moment. He pressed Loki closer to his chest.   
“I have ordered lunch for you both Sir. It will be arriving up to your room shortly.” Jarvis’s voice sounded from Tony’s phone.   
"Thank you Jarvis." Loki said before returning to his boyfriend’s lips.   
Tony kissed Loki back then pulled him towards the couch.   
Following the other, Loki sat down with him.  
Tony lay back and pulled Loki over him. “You know I think they actually have a place here where you can ride large elk.”  
Loki arched a brow. "Why do I need to ride something that I eat?"  
Tony smiled then laughed. “I don’t know, it’s just something to do. There’s other stuff too, I just thought you’d like that.”  
"Okay. But it’s just in Asgard we eat elk, we don't ride it. They aren't big enough for riding." he said.  
Tony blinked at the god curiously. He knew some people on earth liked to eat elk, mostly those living further up north. “Wait, you mean everyone in Asgard eats elk? It’s not just crazy people that live in the mountains?”  
"Yes. He also eat yak, fish, and mutton." he added. "Rabbit from time to time."  
Tony made a face and shook his head. “Yeah, that’s weird.”   
"No, it’s not." He said.  
“Well maybe not to you.” Tony shrugged then stole a quick kiss from Loki.  
Loki smiled at him as he continued to kiss Tony.  
Tony wrapped his arms around the god’s waist and pulled him close, deepening the kiss slightly.   
Loki kissed along the man's neck and jaw.  
Tony craned his head back and ran his hands along Loki’s sides slowly.  
Pulling away, Loki looked down at him.   
Tony pouted when he longer felt Loki’s lips. He opened his eyes and looked up at the god curiously. “What?” He grinned.   
"You are gorgeous like this." He smiled.  
Tony couldn’t help the large smile that stretched across his lips or the blush that settled on his cheeks. “I think that’s the first time anybody’s every said that to me.”  
"I'll remember to say it a lot more often."  
Tony smiled then pulled Loki and kissed him again. “See now you’re just trying to make me get all bashful.”  
"Hardly." Loki chuckled as he started his way down the man's throat.  
Tony leaned his head back and tangled his fingers in Loki’s hair. It felt so soft between his fingers.   
Loki chuckle as he felt the man's fingers reach his scalp. "Please scratch my scalp if you're going to do that."  
“Oh, well if you’re going to ask like that.” Tony teased and began scratching at Loki’s scalp.   
Loki laid his head on Tony's chest and sighed. "Thank you."  
Tony smiled at the god and continued the scratching, moving his hand in small circles. “No problem, Kitten.”  
Loki lifted his head. Getting out of Stark's lap, he sat up. "Now you've ruined it."  
“What? No come on! I’m sorry, I won’t say it again.” Tony practically whined. He was enjoying their little moment.   
"No, it's already ruined." Loki said.   
Tony groaned pathetically and fell back against the couch again. He crossed his arms, lips pursed.   
There was a sudden knock at the door. "And that would be our lunch." Getting up, Loki let the bellhop in to leave the cart and then leave again.  
Tony looked over and blinked then sat up. “Well since the sweet moments over, I guess I’ll just call you a kitten again.” Tony shrugged and went over to the food.  
"You ruined it by talking. I don't like talking while I'm having my head scratched."  
“Well if I’d known that I would have kept my mouth shut.” Tony looked at their meal and took one of the diced potatoes.  
"Maybe we'll try again after a meal."  
Tony perked up a bit when he heard this. He sat down and picked up his fork.   
Getting comfortable, Loki finally sat down to eat.   
Tony hummed in his throat, enjoying his steak. “This is so good.”  
Loki nodded in agreement.  
Tony ate a few more of the potatoes then served himself some of the wine.  
Loki had already served himself some wine, though he thought it strange at this time of day.  
Tony sipped the wine and sighed relaxed. “Good stuff. Not much of a kick in it.” The inventor ate more of his steak then licked his lips.   
"I've already told you the wine here is dull." Loki said.  
“Yeah but I’m pretty sure you could drink moonshine and not get a buzz.”  
"What on earth is moonshine?" Loki asked.  
“It’s one of the most alcoholically concentrated beverages on earth. Real moonshine is actually illegal because of the alcohol concentration.”  
Loki nodded. "Don't know what you would do with Asgardian mead."  
Tony grinned. “Maybe we should bring some and find out.” Tony winked at Loki playfully then finished his steak.   
"No." He replied. Loki finished eating his food and set it back on the tray and put it back into the hall way.  
Tony rolled his eyes and wiped his lips.   
“Sir, you have an incoming call from Miss Potts.”   
Tony picked up his phone and answered. “Hey Pep.”  
“Where are you?”  
“On vacation. Loki missed the snow so we’re in Michigan.”  
Pepper rolled her eyes. "You really need to start telling me about these trips." she said.  
“I thought I left you a note with Jarvis?”  
“A note saying “Going out” doesn’t count Tony.”  
The inventor rolled his eyes.  
Loki started laughing. "Hello Ms. Potts." Loki greeted.  
"Hi, Loki. But Tony you know you can't just up and leave like that. You could have called me you know."  
“Alright, alright.” Tony sighed. “Next time I’ll tell you, though in fairness, I already kind of did.”  
“Not the same thing.”  
“Fine.”  
Loki chuckled. He could already see the woman rolling her eyes and shaking her head.  
“I’m serious Tony.”  
“Pepper, the next time I go anywhere, you’ll be the first to know.”  
"I better be. For now have fun." She said.  
“We will.” Tony hung up and sighed. “Just to be clear, I left a note.”  
“Not a very good note Sir.”  
The inventor rolled his eyes.   
"Let it go Anthony." Loki said. "You know we should have left a better note."  
“Don’t side with her.” Tony looked over at the god then went to him and swiped a potato from his plate.  
"I’m not choosing sides." Loki shrugged.  
“Why do I love you again?” Tony looked at the god unamused and poured himself some more wine.  
"I have no idea." Loki replied.  
Tony looked at the god, brow raised questioningly. “You’re so mean to me.” He kissed Loki’s cheek.  
"I’m not mean. I’m just unbiased."   
“You’re supposed to side with me.” Tony rested his head against the god’s shoulder.   
"So sorry about that but it's not in my nature."  
“Jerk.” Tony snuggled against the god and sighed.   
"You love it." Loki chuckled as he got comfortable.  
Tony sighed heavily. “Yeah, for some reason.”  
Loki grew quiet as he wrapped an arm around Tony.  
Tony glanced at the god then snuggled close, smiling to himself.  
Loki smiled to himself as he stared to doze.  
Tony felt Loki droop against him and adjusted himself so the god could sleep comfortably.  
Adjusting himself as well, Loki wrapped an arm around Stark.  
Tony smiled more and curled as close to Loki as he could.   
Wrapped in the peace, Loki enjoyed the comfort.  
Tony was starting to feel sleepy as he lay there on the couch with Loki. He yawned and sighed relaxed.  
The nap was long and restful.  
Tony woke some time later, his mouth hanging open slightly and his body still curled with Loki’s.   
"Did you have a nice nap?" Loki asked.  
Tony smiled at the god and nodded. “Oh yeah, especially with you here.”  
Loki smiled. "Guess this works about for both parties then."  
“I vote we stay here the rest of the day.” Tony snuggled closer to the god then groaned as his phone went off.  
“Jarvis please tell me that’s Pepper.”  
“I’m afraid not Sir. I am patching Director Fury through on speaker.”  
Loki started grumbling in Norse. "48 hours, you couldn’t give us forty eight hours?"  
“English Laufeyson.” Fury barked. “Just wanted to let you two know that those satellites we sent up picked up some more weird signals.”


	131. Chapter 131

Tony frowned curiously. “Like the ones I got?”  
Loki looked at the phone. "Define weird, Director." Loki said.  
“Not normal.”   
Tony rolled his eyes. “Actually explain what you saw.”  
“We can’t. We recorded abnormal energy blips, but didn’t pick anything else up on any other radar.”  
Tony pursed his lips in thought. “Do you want me to take a look at it when we get back to New York?”  
“I already sent it to lab. We haven’t seen any other strange activity, but be ready.”  
Tony hung up then sighed and snuggled back with Loki. “Where were we?”  
Loki smiled at him, pulling him close again.  
Tony let his body meld against Loki’s and he put his arms around the god. “Wonder what that blip in the scan is though?”  
"Nothing good, that’s what." He said.  
“It has to be close but Fury said they didn’t see anything near us. Either it moved really fast or there’s nothing actually there.”  
"Let’s hope it’s the latter." He said.  
Tony nodded, hoping this really was nothing to worry about. And then a thought crept into his mind; what if it was Thanos? He blinked the thought away.   
"Now go back to sleep." He coaxed.  
Tony smiled and gave a relaxed sigh. “Well you are pretty comfortable.” He closed his eyes.   
Loki smiled as well. "Not bad yourself." It was snowing and outside had grown dark. "This is what I love about the snow."  
“What, me?” Tony laughed as Loki pinched his side. “I’m kidding!” He smiled playfully at the god. “What do you love about the snow?”  
Loki smiled. “Get dressed and come with me and then we'll come back and get warmed up.”  
Tony looked at the god curiously but got up and got dressed to go outside. “Just so we’re clear, I don’t do snow ball fights.”  
"No fun what so ever." Loki sighed as they started outside.  
Tony rolled his eyes and followed Loki outside. “Whatever. You don’t look like the snowball type anyway.” Tony took a few steps out into the snow and gasped as he was suddenly hit by a snowball. “Seriously!” The inventor looked back at Loki then quickly made his own snowball and threw it back.  
Loki easily avoided the snow ball. “I don’t look like a lot of things." He grinned "But the snow does not bother me, you will lose."  
Tony grumbled and yelped as Loki threw another snowball. He quickly ducked behind a bush and started making more snowballs for his arsenal.   
Loki cheated and made another snow ball hit Stark in the back of the head.  
“Stop that! Using magic doesn’t count!” Tony ducked further behind his bush only to be bombarded by more snowballs. “Stop it!”  
Loki suddenly appeared next to him. "You have to learn to play all sides."  
Tony was about to speak when more snow fell on him. “Stop that!” He pouted at the god and suddenly tackled him into the snow.  
Laughing, Loki let himself get pinned. "Feel better about yourself?"  
“A little.” Tony was obviously more than just a little proud of his accomplishment. He leaned down and kissed Loki.  
Kissing the man back, Loki smiled at him. "Good. Let’s get back inside."  
Tony quickly jumped up and nearly dragged Loki inside. He was ready to get out of his wet clothes. He was cold and all he wanted was to get warm again.  
Getting out of their clothes, Loki took them into the bathroom so they could drip and dry in the tub.  
Tony shuddered and grabbed one of the fluffy blankets out of the linen closet. He wrapped it around himself and sat by the fireplace. “I deserve kisses after all those snowballs you hit me with!”  
Leaning in Loki kissed him. "Satisfied?"  
“Mm, no I need another one.” Tony smiled.  
Loki kissed him longer this time. He pulled back after a few moments. "Maybe we should continue this in bed."  
“I agree.” Tony stood and pulled Loki into the bedroom. He kissed the god again, more desperately this time.  
Returning the man's kisses, Loki ran his hands up the back of Stark's shirt.  
Tony pulled the god close and deepened the kiss. He ran his hands along Loki’s sides slowly.  
Inhaling through his nose, Loki shifted a bit so he could pull Tony's shirt off.  
Tony adjusted himself a bit and wriggled out of the shirt as Loki pulled it off. He returned the favor, removing the god’s shirt.   
With his arms around his shoulders, Loki pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss.  
Tony closed his eyes and pushed his tongue into the god’s mouth. He pressed their bodies close, feeling his skin start to get warm.  
Moaning into Stark's mouth, Loki pulled back to turn them over so he was straddling the man's waist and he started to work over his jaw and down his neck.  
Tony reached his hands down and slipped them into Loki’s pants. He rubbed the god’s hips and squeezed his ass.   
Inhaling through his nose, Loki grinds down quicker.   
Tony moaned in his throat before pushing Loki back against the bed. He yanked the god’s pants off and tossed them to the floor.  
Loki didn’t have time to register the fact that his pants were now missing before Stark's own pants were gone from his body.  
Tony wasn’t about to question how his pants had magically vanished, or where they went. He climbed over Loki and started kissing all over the god’s skin.  
Loki opened his legs to the man, letting him settle between them as he ground up to meet his hips.  
Tony pressed down against Loki, creating more friction between them. He ran his hands along the god’s sides, squeezing at his hips.   
Gasping, Loki moaned as he started to drag his nails over Stark's back to draw sounds out of him.  
Tony groaned and whispered Loki’s name under his breath. He kissed down to the god’s stomach and hips.   
"Don't do that." Loki said as he let Tony kiss all over him.  
“Don’t do what?” Tony looked up at Loki playfully and kissed along his thighs.  
"You know very well what: do not wrap your lips around my cock. Not this time."  
Tony rolled his eyes and kissed around Loki’s cock instead. Another day, he supposed. “Fine, fine.” He bit at the god’s hip.  
Inhaling through his nose, Loki glared at him. When Stark came back to him, Loki bit at his collar bone and shoulders.   
Tony bit Loki’s skin and kissed his neck, rather amused by the glare he’d gotten. It wasn’t like his glares of true rage. No, this one was much cuter.   
"I do bite back." Loki threatened.  
“As long as you don’t leave marks anywhere I can’t cover with clothes, you can bite back.” Tony winked at the god playfully.  
Loki leaned up and bit him along his collar bone.  
Tony winced a bit when he felt Loki’s teeth on his skin, but he didn’t pull away. He started grinding against the god, caressing his sides.   
Loki made sure to leave hickies in place of the ones Stark had left on him.  
Tony didn’t fight, though he knew at least two of those marks would be trickier to hide. He cupped Loki’s face in his hands and kissed him suddenly.   
Smiling into the kiss, Loki moaned, reaching between them to cup Stark in his hand.  
Tony’s hips jerked forward and he pressed into Loki’s hand. He reached down as well, teasing the head of Loki’s cock.  
Using the pre-cum that had accumulated, Loki started to jerk his lover off.  
Tony returned the favor, kissing Loki’s throat and collar bone.   
Loki picked up the pace, teasing the head of his cock.  
Tony groaned and tightened his grip slightly. He rolled his hips, panting into the god’s neck.   
"Come for me." Loki whispered in his ear.  
Tony shuddered and whispered Loki’s name under his breath. He thrust into the god’s hand, feeling himself get close.  
He continued to bring the man to completion.  
Tony came in Loki’s hand, moaning the god’s name. He tried to keep a steady rhythm on Loki, but his mind was going numb.   
Loki sighed as he rolled them over and started to bring himself over the edge.  
Tony watched Loki transfixed, running his hands over the god’s body now that his orgasm had faded. He reached his hand back down along with Loki’s.   
When Loki realized what Stark was doing, he moved his hand out of the way.  
Tony kissed along Loki’s neck, running his free hand down the god’s sides. He rubbed his thumb on the head of Loki’s member, stroking him quick and hard.  
Loki shuddered as he came adding to the mess between them.  
Tony kissed the god slowly, dipping his tongue into Loki’s mouth as he pulled his hand back.  
Chuckling, Loki pulled back and flopped over to one side on his, back next to Stark.  
Tony wrapped an arm around Loki’s waist and curled close to him. “No pillow talk?”  
"Never had to pillow talk, I always left after the deed was done." Loki explained to him.  
Tony hummed and nodded a bit. “Sounds like something I would do.” He held Loki a bit tighter.  
"It was easier that way." He replied. With a wave of his hand, the mess on their bellies was gone.  
Tony kissed along Loki’s shoulder softly. “You won’t walk out on me though, will you?”  
"No, I won't walk out on you." Loki replied. "So is this what constitutes as pillow talk?"  
Tony chuckled and shrugged. “I don’t know, I’ve never actually done it but I guess so.”   
Loki rolled his eyes. "Leave it to you."  
Tony laughed and kissed the back of Loki’s neck. “Whatever, you love me.”  
"I do, now go to sleep." Loki replied.  
“You’re so mean to me.” Tony pressed his forehead to Loki’s neck and closed his eyes.  
"I’m nicer to you than I am to Thor." Loki replied.  
“Oh I feel better now.” Tony joked and smiled against Loki’s skin.  
Loki chuckled as he leaned in to kiss his cheek.  
Tony pulled Loki to his chest and sighed content.  
"Sleep." Loki said.  
“You sleep.” Tony sassed, but the words came out muddy. He was tired and fighting to stay awake.  
"I can outlast you any day." Loki challenged.  
“Jerk.” Tony mumbled and started to fall asleep.  
Loki pulled him in closer. "And you love it."  
Tony nodded. “Love you.” He dozed off.  
Loki smiled as he watched him sleep.  
Tony stayed curled close to Loki, despite the chill coming off him.  
Loki wrapped the blanket around them and settled in the first of a number of peaceful nights that would ensue during the trip.  
Tony was still tangled with Loki under the blankets come morning. He had his arms around the god, his face still pressed to his shoulder.  
Loki sighed as he settled against the other, trying to settle into the man's warmth.  
Tony smiled in his sleep and kissed Loki’s skin.  
This was a peace Loki could find himself getting used to.  
“Love you.” Tony muttered on Loki’s neck but kept his eyes closed.  
"I love you too." Loki smiled softly.  
Tony kissed up from Loki’s shoulder blade to his neck. “You sleep okay?”  
"I slept fine." Loki smiled at him.  
“Good.” Tony smiled and kissed the god’s cheek.  
"Hungry?" Loki asked, shifting so they were looking at each other.  
“Starving. You got me hungry.” Tony chuckled and stretched.


	132. Chapter 132

"Shall I call for room service?"  
Tony yawned and reached for the phone. “I got it.” He looked at the menu. “Oh, let’s get their breakfast platter. Pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs. Sounds delicious.”  
Loki nodded, grabbing the phone and placing the order. "I don't want to get out of the bed."  
“Me neither. It’s so comfy, huh?” Tony fell back against the pillows and sighed content.  
Loki wished he could conjure up one of his clones to do it.  
Tony chuckled at the god. “Want me to call?” He dialed the number.  
"No, I'll get up and get it. And then I’m getting back in bed and I’m not getting out until I feel like it."  
“Alright.” Tony handed the phone to Loki then lay back on the pillows once more.  
There was a knock on the door and Loki got up to get it but not before pulling on his pants.  
The woman pushed their breakfast cart in and made sure they had everything they had ordered before leaving.   
Tony had pulled on his sweat pants and a shirt.   
Loki brought the breakfast into the bedroom. "What are you getting dressed for?"  
Tony looked at the god and smiled. “I was doing it to be polite but if you want me naked then I can strip.” Tony pulled off his shirt.  
"Then strip, get back in bed, and then we'll eat." Loki smiled at him.  
Tony did so quickly and climbed back under the covers with Loki. “Smells good.” He eyed the breakfast platters.  
Loki handed him one and took the other for himself once he got settled down.  
Tony dug into the eggs first. Scrambled with cheese and some ketchup.  
"That’s nasty." he said.  
“It’s delicious.” Tony took a large bite of his food and grinned at Loki.  
Loki didn’t like the taste of ketchup.  
Tony finished his egg then started on the waffles.   
Loki ate in the same manner as he did everything else: slowly.  
Tony watched the god for a moment, somewhat curious and slightly fascinated by Loki’s mannerisms. It was still so strange to see.  
"What are you staring at?" Loki asked him.  
“You.” Tony winked then finished his waffle.  
"Let me rephrase then. Why are you staring at me?"  
Tony smiled and shrugged. “Cause you’re that beautiful.” He wiped his mouth one he finished his breakfast and looked at his phone. No new messages. Well, nothing he deemed important anyway.  
Loki finished eating his breakfast and settled down again reaching for the remote to the TV.  
Tony watched the god quietly, still amazed by him. It was strange seeing him now in comparison to before. They had hated each other at one point. And now, well, things had changed to say the least.  
"Please stop, staring is uncomfortable." he said.  
“I’m admiring your beauty.” Tony sassed back then stretched and went back to his phone.  
Loki smiled as he finished eating his breakfast and then set everything back on the cart.  
Tony sent Pepper a quick message, just to make sure everything was alright before he relaxed against the pillows again.  
"Movie?" Loki asked picking up the remote.  
Tony perked up a bit and shrugged. “Sure. Which one?”  
"Love Actually." he replied.  
“Love actually what?” Tony looked at the god curiously then realized that was the name of the movie. “Oh.”  
Loki nodded as he found the movie and put it on for them before getting comfortable with Tony.  
Tony put an arm around Loki and cozied up to the god. He wasn’t big on movies with romance, but hey, he was open minded.  
It wasn't just romance but family as well.   
While it wasn’t necessarily his favorite, Tony had to admit that the movie was pretty good.   
"Alright you can pick the next one." he said.  
Tony looked at the god and grinned. “Are you sure you want me to pick?”  
Loki nodded, handing him the remote. "Yes."  
Tony’s grin got wider as he took the remote. “Now we watch good movies.” He winked at Loki and put on Fast and Furious.  
Loki watched the move anyway, having put Stark through a love story.  
Tony was a little too excited during the movie, though not in the way others might be. He kept pointing out errors in the movies and snorting at how ridiculous some of the stunts were.   
Loki chuckled as he listened to Stark point out all he mistakes in everything.  
Tony did this until the movie ended. He leaned over to Loki and stole a kiss. “So, what did you think?”  
"I don't understand the purpose of cars." Loki replied.  
“They get you places quickly and they look nice.” Tony replied with a smug little grin. “What do you use on Asgard?”  
"Horses, walking, and boats that, depending on which one it is, can fly."  
Tony’s eyes widened slightly and he nodded. “Guess that makes sense.” He shook his head. “I want a flying boat.”  
"No." Loki replied. "I hate those damned boats with a passion."  
“I don’t.” Tony looked at the god, brow raised.  
"You don't want one. They are like your cars only you'll be more likely to get motion sickness from it."  
“I fly around in a metal body suit. I think I can handle a flying boat.” Tony smiled playfully. “But hey, you don’t like it, we won’t get it.”  
Loki rolled his eyes. He was the sort to get seasick. "Not the same thing, it really isn't."  
“No boat then.” Tony shrugged. “Though that would be nice to have.” He imagined flying around the city in a magical boat.  
Loki stretched himself from head to toe with a soft cry.  
Tony smiled at the noise that Loki made and shook his head.   
“Sir you have a call.”  
“From who?” Tony picked up his phone and smiled when he saw the number. “Rhodey! Long time no…”  
“What in the hell are you thinking?!”  
Tony pursed his lips and got out of the bed. “You know, usually when you ignore a friend for almost a year, it’s nice to tell them why you did it first.”  
From his spot in the bed, Loki tried to listen but the door had been closed. Sighing and rolling his own eyes, Loki settled down in the bed and turned on another movie.  
“You know damn well what I’m talking about. How could you be friends with that son of a bitch?”  
Tony sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Who ratted me out?”  
“Nobody had to, it’s all over the damn news!”  
Tony blanched. “What?” He darted back into the other room and pulled out his tablet to check. Sure enough, there were already articles circulating that he and Loki were more than friends. “Oh my God.”  
“You think this is funny?”  
Rhodey, listen…”  
“No, you listen! I almost lost you because of him! I had family visiting in New York that day and you’re fucking him!”  
“Rhodey, just listen to me!”  
"No, I'm not going to fucking listen to you. You're with a fucking nutcase that could kill you at any second. Lord knows how far he's stringing you along. Every time the sex is good enough for you, right?" Rhodey said.  
Tony clenched his jaw as Rhodey spoke. “Yeah, cause we both know sex is the only thing that motivates me.”  
Rhodey was quiet for a moment. “That’s not what I meant. This is dangerous Tony. You can’t be dumb enough to buy whatever this lunatic is selling.”  
He felt his blood boil and Tony shook his head. “He’s not what you think he is. And if you’re not going to listen to me then I guess we don’t have much else to talk about.”  
"Tony don't do this please. I've almost lost you twice, I can’t handle this shit a third time." He said.  
“You’re not going to lose me because nothing is going to happen. Loki isn’t manipulating me Rhodey. And just for the record, he got me to stop drinking.”  
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" He asked.  
“No.” Tony answered shortly. “I expect you to be just like everyone else: ignorant and unbelieving.” Tony shook his head and sighed. “You can ask Jarvis and Pepper if you won’t believe me. So can we wrap this up? Loki and I were going to watch a movie and plot how to take over the world.”   
"You are un-fucking-believable." The man hung up the phone, wondering just how well Loki had Tony wrapped around his finger.  
Tony pursed his lips upset and threw his phone at the wall. It didn’t break; he’d made the phone himself, but it would definitely scratch the case. He huffed upset and walked back over to Loki. “What movie did you pick?”  
"Who called?" He asked.  
“Nobody important.” Tony shrugged and gave the god a cocky smile. He didn’t want to talk about Rhodey, not the man he’d considered his best friend for years. Not the same man that was treating him like some mindless, sex-driven idiot that couldn’t tell lies from truth.  
Loki nodded. "Alright." He said.  
Tony nodded back and rested against the god. “So, what movie is this?”  
"This one is called Ten Things I Hate about You." Loki replied.  
Tony looked at Loki curiously but shrugged. “What’s it about?”  
"A boy like a girl, but the girl likes someone else, but she's not allowed to date unless her older sister dates and she's against it. The male the younger sister likes pays another boy to date the older sister but instead he ends up getting feelings for her and helps the underdog character go out with the younger sister."  
Tony blinked and shook his head. “Right.” He gave Loki a quick kiss on the cheek then leaned back on the pillows to watch the movie.   
Loki settled against him once more so they could watch. He dozed for a bit until the movie ended and he handed it back to Tony.  
Tony wasn’t watching the movie anymore. He was staring at the wall, a troubled look on his face. He rubbed his thumb against his arc reactor absently.  
"Are you going to tell me what the problem is?" He asked.  
Tony jumped a bit, not having realized Loki was awake again. “What problem?”  
"You're staring at the wall, you've thrown your phone." Loki pointed out.  
“There’s no problem. I always throw my phone.” Tony wasn’t sure why he was lying; Loki was the god of lying. He’d be able to see right through the things Tony said.  
"You're full of shit." Loki said full out.  
Tony looked at the god completely shocked. “Who is teaching you those words?”   
"That book that Agent Romanov sent me but don’t change the subject, you're lying to me."  
Tony looked away from Loki. “I don’t want to talk about it, alright? It doesn’t matter and I don’t want you getting all mopey on me. We’re here to have some nice time off and enjoy the snow.”  
Loki sighed. "Fine." He replied turning back to the movie.  
Tony rested against Loki again and was quieter than usual the rest of the evening.   
"Could we go out tomorrow? Maybe walk around, see the sights?"  
“Sure, why not?” Tony reached for his tablet to see about any attractions where they were. “There’s a hiking trail near here.”  
"Think you'll handle the cold?" He asked.  
“Only if you promise not to throw any more snowballs at me.”  
"On my honor I swear I won’t throw anymore."  
The next morning after a nice breakfast and wrapping up for the cold on Tony's part, they set off. Loki frowned when he heard what sounded like a helicopter overhead. Even more so when it sounded like more than one. Before he could get a sense for what was going on, the unpacked snow started to whip around them. Men started to come down from them on ropes grabbing for both himself and Stark. Loki called out to Stark but found the world go dark as a black bag was put over his head.


	133. Chapter 133

"We've got them, sir."  
Rhodey smiled. "Bring him on home, leave Loki to me."  
“What the hell’s going on?” Tony tried to get away from the men that apprehended him. “Get the fuck off me!” The inventor looked around for Loki, but with all the snow whipping around, it was hard to see anything. “Loki!”  
Loki frowned as the bag was finally pulled off his head, exposing him to a bright light in his face.  
"What did you do to him?" A man asked.  
"Nothing. There is no spell, no curse, nothing is binding him to me." Loki answered.  
"Wrong answer." He replied. "Torture him until he talks."  
“Where did you take Loki?” Tony glared at the guards that were intent on keeping him in his room. No phone, no tablet, and no Jarvis. This was maddening. “Where is he?!” The inventor shouted at the men in the room.   
“He’s being interrogated.”   
“For what? By who?”  
"I'm not at liberty to say Mr. Stark." The man replied.  
Loki's head was pulled out of the water with him sputtering and spitting the water from his mouth and lungs. If he was at full power he could have used his water spell. Knowing what this was about, he decided not to fight them.  
“I want a real answer from you. What did you do to my friend?” Rhodey frowned at Loki as he was pulled out of the water sputtering. He didn’t like admitting it, but this wasn’t his first interrogation.   
“Then give me my phone.”  
“We’re sorry Mr. Stark, but we’ve been told not to.”  
Tony growled out annoyed and looked away from the men. This wasn’t Hydra and if it were any other group that had issues with the Avengers, he wouldn’t be alive. Could it be someone that knew about Loki? What if it was the Council trying to get back at Loki? What if these were some special ops working for Fury?   
"Nothing, you witless coward." Loki replied.  
Rhodey nodded again and they dipped Loki longer this time until he passed out from a lack of air.  
“Keep him alive. I want to know what this son of a bitch did to my friend.”  
“Colonel, it’s private Pierce.” One of the soldiers handed their phone to Rhodey and the colonel sighed.   
“What is it?”  
“Mr. Stark is getting quite feisty Colonel. He’s demanding the location of the captive.”  
"I’m coming now." He replied before hanging up. Looking at Loki's limp and wet form, he sighed.  
"Set him up for the next go, tell me when he wakes up."  
The other soldiers nodded at the commands and kept their eyes on Loki.   
Tony had done quite a job making the soldiers angry. He’d tossed furniture at them and nearly gotten his phone back twice only to have it smashed under a boot. He sat with a bruise on his lip on the couch, eyes fixed on the soldiers.   
“Who are you working for, huh? Is it some secret organization I don’t know about yet?”  
"He's really got his claws in you." Rhodey said as he came into the room. "I brought you something to eat in the meantime."  
“If you don’t bring him back to me unharmed…”  
“Don’t you see that this lunatic did something to you? Are you really that blind?” Rhodey looked at his friend in disbelief. “He’s using you Tony, and you’re the only idiot that can’t see it!”  
“What’s he using me for Rhodey? Favors with Fury? World domination? Do you really think I wouldn’t be able to see past that?” Tony shouted at the soldier as he stood and walked right up to him. “Give him back, unharmed, or I’ll make your life hell.”  
"Not before I save you from him." He replied before leaving, though Fury was already onto them and working on getting both Stark and Loki back.  
Loki woke up, strapped into a chair with cables attached to his feet. He felt the first jolt of electricity run through his body.   
"When I get out of this I swear you'll pay for it." He growled at him. Another shock and he was panting with pain running through every inch of him.  
"Break whatever hold it is you have on him and I'll stop." Rhodey answered.  
"There is no spell. It's no curse. He has nothing I want, nothing to give me. Any power, or place in the world that I can't make on my own." Loki snapped back.  
“You’re lying.” Rhodey snarled and sent another jolt. “What did you do to Tony!?”  
Tony pursed his lips and frowned at the soldiers. “Get out.”  
“We were ordered to stay…”  
“You can get out on your own or I can have Jarvis throw you out.”  
“With all due respect Mr. Stark, you don’t have access to your suits.”  
“Actually, he does.” Three suits appeared outside the room and aimed their blasters. “I am afraid you set off an emergency signal upon destroying Mr. Stark’s phone.”  
Tony gave a smug smirk and looked at the soldiers. “Out.”  
They all looked at the suits, as if considering a fight for a moment before leaving the room. They only hoped Rhodey would understand.   
Tony quickly walked over to the suits. “I’m so glad to see you.”  
“Did those men hurt you Sir?” There was a pang of worry in Jarvis’s voice as he made the suit inspect Tony for other wounds.  
“One stupid punch before they broke my phone.”  
“You baited them?”  
“It worked, didn’t it?”  
"Director Fury is on the way as well to come and get both you and Mr. Laufeyson." Jarvis said.  
Loki was starting to see spots in his vision as they kept shocking him. It stopped being painful and more of tingle. He suspected that he was going numb.  
"You know, my brother packs a large voltage than you." Loki chuckled. Feeling it again, his vision faded. They'd been at this for the last twenty minutes. Suddenly the door was wrenched open and Fury stepped in.   
"Let him go."  
"Not until he gives Tony back." Rhodey replied.  
"He doesn't have him. You missed the year in which he didn’t have any magic." Fury explained.   
SHIELD Agents started to get Loki out of the chair.  
"Why didn't you use your magic to get you and Stark out of here?" Fury asked.  
"Didn't think it would help my case in trying to prove that I have no hold over him." Loki answered.  
Fury scowled at the god and shook his head. “Get moving before Stark starts yelling at…” The director sighed heavily through his nose as his phone went off. “We got Laufeyson. He’s safe and alive.”  
“I want to talk to him.”  
“You can when we get him and you into a chopper and back to New York. Pack your bags.” Fury hung up and ignored his phone as it went off again. He looked at Rhodey before they left. “I know it’s hard to believe, but your friend isn’t under any spell. He’s just an idiot.”  
Rhodey pursed his lips and shook his head, frowning at Loki. “Tell Tony I said good bye and good luck.”  
Tony tried Fury again but was greeted by the man’s answering machine. He groaned and sat down on the couch. All of his and Loki’s things were packed and waiting by the door.   
“Sir, you must calm yourself. Mr. Laufeyson has been rescued and is en-route now.”  
“Yeah, perfect. Would have been better if he hadn’t been taken in the first place.”  
The minute they get onto the helicopter, Loki was ready to pass out. In his mind, he was thinking of the things you do for love. When Tony finally joined them, he smiled.  
"I'm alive, and well, all my fingers and toes are accounted for." He said.  
Tony held the god tight. “Thank God.” He kissed Loki’s cheek and looked him over. All things considered, it could have been worse. “What did he do to you?”  
“That doesn’t matter right now Stark.” Fury looked over at Tony. “Your friend is pretty pissed.”  
“Yeah well my boyfriend was just captured and possibly tortured, so I’m sorry if that doesn’t matter to me right now.”  
“He said good bye and good luck.”  
Tony clenched his jaw but nodded. “Fine. That’s the way it is then.” He looked back at Loki, relieved the god was alive and well. As for Rhodey…he didn’t want to think about it now.  
"Do you really wish to let that friendship go so easily?" Loki asked him.  
“He’s the one deciding to end this.” Tony answered shortly. “If he’s not going to listen to me about you then he can leave for all I care.”  
“Not everyone is as easily fooled as you are Stark.”  
Tony didn’t look at Fury as he spoke. “And not everyone is as pig headed as you are, but I find a way to survive.”  
"Please stop arguing, my head feels like it's splitting." Loki replied.  
Fury gave him a look but Loki returned it with one of his own.  
Tony pulled Loki over with him and had the god sit close to him during the trip. He kept an arm around Loki, as if afraid the god would suddenly be pulled away again. This was happening too often for his liking.   
Finally reaching the tower, Loki had a shower, and hot meal and crashed into their bed to sleep for the next few days. He ordered Jarvis not to tell Tony what they'd done to him.  
Tony watched over Loki as he slept, unable to sleep himself. Nobody would tell him what Loki had been through, though he supposed it was best he didn’t know. He was mad enough at Rhodey as it was, he didn’t want to make things worse.   
Loki finally woke up feeling a great deal better than he had before. "Hello." He smiled at Tony.  
“Hey. You look refreshed.” Tony smiled back at the god then yawned. “How do you feel?”  
"Better." He replied. Loki could feel everything again. "So I’m guessing we're grounded back to New York?"  
Tony sighed heavily and nodded. “Looks like. But hey, we can always go into the simulator and pretend we’re vacationing.”   
Loki shook his head. "No point in wasting the time." He said.  
“Alright, it’s up to you.” Tony yawned again and shook his head. He didn’t get any sleep last night. “You hungry?”  
"Not yet." Loki replied. "I'll be in the library if you need me." Loki said, climbing out of bed and heading out.  
Tony watched Loki go then let his head fall back on the pillows. Loki would be safe. Nobody could get into the tower to take him. He’d be safe.  
Jarvis would wait until Tony got some sleep before telling them that Fury wanted to see Loki.  
Tony dozed off after sometime, though he kept waking himself up and asking if Loki was still alright. He’d had nightmares about Loki leaving in the past, though now they’d shifted to Loki being taken away.   
"He's fine, Sir. Director Fury wants to see him at SHIELD." Jarvis added.  
Tony scoffed and ran a hand over his face. “Why?”  
"I do not know why, Sir."  
“I’m going too.”  
“Very well Sir, but the meeting itself is private.”   
“I don’t have to be in the office, I just want to make sure Loki is okay.”  
"Of course, Sir."   
Loki put himself into his armor, just in case. "Ready when you are."  
Tony got dressed and headed to the garage with Loki. “If he gives you any trouble, scream for me and I’ll have twenty suits on his ass.”  
"There will be no need for that." Loki replied. "I'll see you there." Loki disappeared from sight and was at SHIELD only moments later.  
Tony drove to SHIELD as quickly as he could, grumbling the entire time until he arrived.  
“I’m surprised Stark isn’t with you.” Fury looked up from his paperwork as Loki appeared in his office.  
"He's on his way. Why did you want you see me?" Loki asked.  
"I'm willing to listen to what you have to say about your time before the invasion." He answered.  
"Why should I waste my breath on something that you know you will still refuse to believe? That no matter what I say or how much it looks like I'm telling the truth, you don't want to believe any of it because I’m the god of Lies." Loki pointed out.


	134. Chapter 134

"Maybe you're right, but since your little fall out with your brother, I’m starting to wonder just how much you actually lie." He replied.  
Tony arrived soon enough at SHIELD and walked towards the office only to be stopped outside.   
“Sorry Stark, this is a private meeting.”  
“Yeah, I know. I’m just going to wait right here.”  
Maria nodded. “Coffee?”  
“Yeah, sure. What are they talking about in there?”  
“I don’t know Mr. Stark. All I know is that it’s private.”  
Tony scoffed.  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Loki smirked. In truth, Loki didn't lie as much as people thought he did. He would bend the truth in some areas true but he was a trickster more so. Little pranks he enjoyed playing on others. Though Loki knew one day for sure that Thanos would come back for him. That he would want his revenge over the god for not doing as he was told. He could only hope he had his full power back by then. He was going to need it.  
“This isn’t a game anymore Laufeyson. You were in custody on earth, imprisoned for a year. And thanks to all of Stark’s whining, I’m starting to doubt whether or not it was worth it.” Fury looked at the god as he spoke, his fingertips pressed together.   
Loki shrugged. "Do what you will. I've told Stark and he's told you. What does hearing it from me have to do with it?"   
“It has everything to do with it. You’ve never told me what happened, I’ve only heard bits and pieces from Stark and even he doesn’t know everything. I want to hear it from you.”  
"But what is it going to change if I do tell you?" Loki questioned.  
Fury shrugged. “Maybe everything, maybe nothing. Stark may be an idiot, but there’s no way he’s this big a fool. So if he believes you…” Fury paused a moment pursing his lips. “All I’m doing is giving you a chance to be the one that tells the story.”  
Loki sighed. "Very well then." Loki started to share his half of the story. He didn’t give to many details as to how Thanos tortured him. He didn’t want Fury to have more information on how to break him down.  
Fury listened quietly, though his expression didn’t really change much as he listened. The man was well-practiced with his poker face, though what he was hearing was disturbing.   
“What made you tell Stark about all this?”  
"He's annoying that way. Gets under your skin until you tell him. I didn’t think he would believe me but I just wanted my side to be heard by someone."  
“So he just happened to be the person that heard the whole truth first.” Fury shook his head then stood. “Your probation ends as of today. I am overriding the council’s decision to keep you on probation for the next two years. You’re a free man, at least as far as I’m concerned.”  
Tony waited out in the hall impatiently, tapping his foot and messing around on his phone.   
Loki nodded. "Thank you."  
"But I still want you to help on missions. As an active but dormant member of this team. If I feel like it's something you should step in on, I'll tell you. But that means that you have to train with the others next week." Fury explained.  
"Very well Director."  
Fury sat back again. “And tell Stark to relax. He looks like hell.”   
“You can relax you know. He’s not in trouble.”  
“Right, as far as I know.”  
Maria shook her head. “It’s fine. Now can you stop tapping your foot? You’re making a dent.”  
Tony paused when he realized he’d been tapping his foot since he sat down.   
"He cares about people and to see them taken from him he gets worried. He has nightmares." Loki replied. "Give it a few weeks and things will level out again." Loki replied.  
Fury nodded quietly. He knew this all too well. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard about Tony’s nightmares. “I’m going to ask you a favor, since you’re the only one Stark seems to listen to. Keep him grounded. As much as I may dislike you, you’re good for Stark. Make sure he doesn’t start doing stupid shit again.”  
Loki smirked. "I make no promises but I'll do my best." Nodding to him he left the office to find Stark on the other side. "Shall we return home?" he asked.  
“It’s about time you finished in there. Were you two swapping life stories?” Tony stood, more than ready to leave.   
Maria chuckled then looked at Loki, straight faced as usual. “Mr. Laufeyson, Mr. Stark.” She nodded at both men then went into Fury’s office.  
Loki returned Hill's nod. Looking back at Tony, he smiled at him. "All is well."  
“Good, then let’s go.” Tony laced his fingers with Loki’s and walked out to the car with the god.  
By the time they were in the car, Loki was in jeans and a shirt.  
“I don’t like you changing like that if I can’t watch you undress.” Tony pouted at the god and started driving. “So what did you two talk about?”  
Loki shrugged. "Nothing important. He is, however, ending my probation. I am now on your team as more or less, an at-ready boost if needed. Also, I have to attend training with you and the other next week."  
Tony stopped suddenly and looked at Loki shocked. “Wait, seriously?” Oh he couldn’t wait to watch Loki training with everyone else.   
"Yes, I’m a free man, but I do not have all my powers and I still cannot return to Asgard. That part is still up to the Allfather."  
“Well at least you’re free here.” Tony headed out with Loki then suddenly let go of his hand as they got outside. He hadn’t told Loki about the articles he’d found; he didn’t want Loki to start worrying.  
"Is something wrong?" He asked, following Tony.  
“No, no. Why would something be wrong?” Tony looked at Loki and got into the car.  
"Because I just got done talking to Fury and you're not being possessive and you are lying. Something is wrong."  
“I thought you hated it when I was clingy?” Tony gave the god a cocky smile as they drove along.  
"Don't change the subject Stark. Tell me what the problem is, or I rewire Jarvis again and make him tell me."  
Tony sighed heavily, looking away from Loki. “The media saw us being all touchy and feely and…” He paused for a moment. “Jarvis, show him the article.”   
The AI pulled up one of the screens from the dashboard to show Loki what Tony was talking about.   
“I know it’s just tabloids, but the bigger media outlets are picking up on it.”  
Loki looked at him. "And this is where you get your lesson in not giving a damn." He replied. "They call me a murderer and I keep walking. They call me a freak and I keep walking. I will get out of this car right now and walk the rest of the way to the tower with my head held high."  
“That’s not the point and you know it. Look what happened with Rhodey and who knows who else is going to take you to try and get to me and the rest of the Avengers. I wanted to keep this quiet so you wouldn’t be in anymore danger than you already were.” Tony looked at the god. He wanted the world to know, but not like this. Not on some tabloid magazine claiming Tony was under a spell.   
"One of these days someone is going to believe that there is no spell." he said.  
“That day better be soon. I’m tired of people going after you.”   
They arrived at the tower finally and Tony was thankful the paparazzi couldn’t get beyond the line of tree surrounding his property.   
Entering the building, Loki asked for Jarvis to send a suit to the roof. He was being extremely well behaved for the last few days and he was beyond pissed off at the moment.  
“Loki…” Tony huffed as the god headed up to the roof. He ran his fingers through his hair and sat in the car for a moment. “Great.”  
“This is neither your fault nor his Sir.”  
“Yeah, I know.”   
"Even he gets angry at times." Jarvis added.   
“I know he does.” Tony scoffed and put his hands on his hips as he paced. He didn’t want Loki thinking he was ashamed of their relationship. That couldn’t be further from the truth but what would he do if someone else took Loki? What if someone went after the god because of this?   
"Sir, I highly doubt anyone would consider taking him. They do not know what he is capable of. No one know that his powers are limited. Mr. Laufeyson restrained himself when your former friend James Rhodes took him." Jarvis explained.  
“He shouldn’t have. He should beat Rhodey’s ass.” Tony frowned and shook his head.   
“You don’t mean that Sir.”  
“The fuck I don’t!”   
“Sir, you must remember that not everyone knows what you do. Not everyone knows the truth. Your friend knows only what he has heard from the news and was worried for you.”  
“No, he was treating me like someone idiot kid.”  
"But Sir, how many times did you go to him after New York seeking comfort. Of course he would be worried about you when you now live with the man that caused those nightmares."  
“Loki didn’t cause that!” Tony snapped but he knew Jarvis was right. Rhodey didn’t know Loki the way Tony did. He didn’t know the horrors Loki had faced or what he’d been through trying to redeem himself.   
"But as far as the rest of the world knows Sir, he did." Jarvis replied.  
Tony sat at the island and buried his face in his hands. “He’s never going to talk to me again.”  
“He will Sir. You simply need to give him time. He will come to his senses.”  
“No, he won’t.” Tony sighed heavily.  
"Well I cannot tell the future."  
“Don’t sass me.” Tony frowned and went to grab one of his green drinks.   
"Forgive me, sir." he replied.  
“You don’t need to apologize Jarv.” Tony waved it off and took a large gulp of his drink.  
Loki finally came back in. "Anthony?"  
Tony looked over at Loki as if he’d been snapped out of a dream and nodded a bit. “Hey. You have fun wrecking my suits?” He gave a small, playful smile.  
"Loads, I don't think it'll work anymore though." Loki replied.   
Tony shrugged. “I can make more. Actually I’m about due for another suit.”  
“I do not know why you make so many Sir.”  
“For Loki to beat up.” Tony smiled and finished off his green drink.   
Loki rolled the eyes. "I don't destroy that many." he said.  
“Since I’ve started letting you beat the crap out of my suits, you’ve destroyed five.” Tony looked at the god, brow raised.  
"But it's not six." Loki answered.   
"And to be fair you were able to rebuild them stronger." Jarvis added.  
“Doesn’t change the fact that you tore them up.” Tony walked over to Loki. “You worked up a good sweat up there.”  
"Yes, I sweat." Loki replied. "I’m going to go shower."  
“Want some company?” Tony asked playfully.  
"No thank you." Loki smiled.  
Tony pouted and rolled his eyes. “Fine, you can shower by yourself.”  
"Stop pouting, it doesn’t suit you." he said.  
Tony scoffed and looked through his phone before noticing a message from Pepper.   
I just heard from Rhodey. Are you okay? –Pep  
Tony pursed his lips and replied.   
I’ll be fine. –Stark  
What about Loki? –Pep  
He just beat the crap out of one of my suits. He’s in the shower. He doesn’t want to talk about what happened. –Stark  
Of course he doesn't want to talk about it. –Pep  
I'm sorry Tony. Want me to come round for a little bit?-Pep  
Yeah. And bring some food. It’s been a while since Loki got to talk to anyone other than me and Fury. –Stark  
Be there in an hour. –Pep  
Tony nodded at his phone and set it to the side. He looked up when Loki walked back out, bathed and dressed. “Have a nice shower?”  
"A very nice one. Next time, I'll let you join me." Loki replied.


	135. Chapter 135

“I’m holding you to that.” Tony winked at the god. “Pepper’s bringing food. Hope you’re hungry.”  
"Starving." Loki replied.  
“She’ll be over soon.” Tony smiled and stood. “Want some coffee in the meantime?”  
"No, thank you. I'll have some water." Loki replied. "Do you want coffee?"  
“Yeah, it’s about time for my daily fix.” Tony walked into the kitchen and served Loki his tall glass of water before starting the coffee.   
Loki chuckled. "Coffee isn't terrible but it's not something I would make a habit of drinking."  
“That’s where the difference between you and me is. I need this stuff to survive.” Tony got the sugar out and waited for his coffee.   
"No, you need food. Have you eaten or even so much as snacked since we go back?"  
“Yes, I’ve eaten. Jarvis won’t leave me alone if I don’t. I blame that on you.”   
“I am simply doing my job to keep you alive Sir.”  
“Yeah, yeah.”  
"And you're doing a very good job Jarvis, Thank you." Loki hadn't eaten since their breakfast before they were kidnapped. He was starving.   
“I am only relieved I do not have to be so persistent with you, Mr. Laufeyson. You eat regularly.”  
“Hey, I’ve been getting better about it.” Tony griped.   
"Yes, you've gotten to the point where we don’t have to remind you to eat unless you're in the lab. You will at the very least eat two meals a day."  
Tony stood a little taller then fixed himself some coffee. “See?”  
“Sir, Ms. Potts is here.”  
“Let her up.”  
A few moments later Pepper came into the floor with takeout bags in each hand.   
"Hello." he smiled at her.  
"Hey Loki how are you?" She asked, setting the bags on the table.  
"As well as ever, my lady." He kissed her hand.  
Pepper blushed and giggled then looked at Tony. “What a gentleman.”  
The inventor rolled his eyes. “I can be a gentleman too.”  
“No, you can’t.” She smiled teasingly and set the food out. “I wasn’t sure what to bring so I just brought a little of everything.”  
“As long as it’s food.”  
"I’m not picky so I don’t mind." Loki answered.  
“I brought Chinese, burgers, pancakes, some salads.” Pepper opened up the boxes for her friends to see the food.   
Tony quickly reached for one of the burgers.  
"Thank you." Loki smiled at her going to get her a bottle of water and fork if it was needed. Sitting down, he set into some of the Chinese food for himself.  
Pepper looked at Loki, wanting to ask but she knew better. He was eating and he seemed to be in good shape; that was enough for her. The redhead got one of the salads.   
“Rhodey called.”  
Tony clenched his jaw and gave a slight nod. “What did he want?”  
“He apologized to me and said he wouldn’t be doing negotiations with us anymore.”  
“Fine. Who’s going to be doing business with us now?”  
“One of his other officers.”  
Tony nodded again then bit into his burger.  
"I’m sorry Anthony." Loki interjected.  
Tony looked at the god and put his burger down. He looked Loki straight in the eyes and Pepper even backed up a bit.   
“This is not your fault. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, except for making me worry while you were missing. I didn’t chose you over Rhodey and I didn’t chose you over Bruce. Everyone chose themselves over me and you. And that’s fine with me because you matter more than anybody else.”  
Pepper couldn’t help the small smile that formed on her lips. She had to give Tony credit for one thing, he was fiercely protective of those close to him and now, that included Loki.  
Loki looked over at him. He wondered when the day would come that the others would stop thinking Stark was insane.  
Tony looked at Loki then reached out and held the god’s hand. “This isn’t on you.”  
Pepper looked at the two and smiled, shaking her head. “You two look adorable together.”  
Tony quickly pulled his hand away and blushed, pouting at the redhead. “Don’t laugh!”  
"Please don't." He added. He wasn’t trying to be cute.  
Pepper smiled and nodded. “Sorry.” She took a bite of her salad.   
Tony rolled his eyes and took another large bite of his burger.   
Eating the rest of their meal in silence, Pepper bid Tony and Loki a farewell.   
"Come on, let’s get to bed and rest as much as possible before next week." he said. Loki wasn’t looking forward to the training session. Someone would end up hurt, another would end up with their feelings hurt and he was sure Thor would have a go at him.  
Tony wiped his lips and nodded. “Alright.” He glanced at the time but decided not to comment on how early it was yet. Loki must still have been exhausted after everything he’d been through over the past few days.   
"How about we put on a movie?" Loki asked him. It wasn't long before Loki was fast asleep.   
The few days that followed were much in the same fashion. Eating, sleeping, watching movies or TV wandering around a bit. Nothing too serious to be honest. Loki still felt guilty that Tony's friends had stopped talking to him just because he thought he was insane for dating insanity itself. Loki woke up with a sigh. "Today is the training exercise. Come along Anthony, let’s go get it done them."  
“Try not to make anybody cry.” Tony joked and smiled at the god before leaving with Loki. He’d seen Thor fight before and he was eager to see just how good Loki was at close combat.   
"I refuse to make any promises." He said.  
Tony grinned wide and drove up to SHIELD with Loki. Oh this was going to be good.   
And apparently, he wasn’t the only eager one. When they arrived, Natasha, Clint, and Steve were all waiting in the training room. Seemed even the super soldier was curious just what Loki’s skill level was.   
"No weapons, just hand to hand." Steve informed them.  
"Are the rules clear brother?" Thor asked.  
Loki glared at his blonde haired adopted brother. He could feel agent Barton and Romanov glaring at him as well. Taking a leather cord from his pocket, Loki tied his hair back and out of his face.  
"Try not to kill each other." Fury ordered them. "And just to make things clear for the rest of you, Loki is a free man, probation is over." he told them.  
Natasha nodded, not showing any emotion, but her eyes were blood thirsty. She looked at Loki and stood tall. “I’ll go first.”  
Tony’s brows raised in surprise and he sat to watch. He wasn’t much of the hand-to-hand type; he left that to the others.   
Loki looked lazy as he stood. His movements relaxed and bored looking. Thor wished he'd been better at reading his brother, to know what some of his movements meant.   
"When you're ready Agent Romanov." Loki replied.  
Natasha got into the center of the floor with Loki but didn’t take any particular stance. “I always let the future loser go first.”  
Clint and Bruce both looked at Natasha surprised, though Clint honestly looked more pleased with himself.   
“This’ll be over quick.”  
Tony felt a bit nervous as he watched. He knew Natasha had been looking for a good excuse to whack Loki around, and now she had it.   
Loki stood completely still. He could beat Agent Romanov because she was letting her anger control her.   
"Agent Romanov, it's ill sport to insult your opponent." Loki stated.  
From up in the control room Fury and Hill watched.  
"They hate him, and he respects them." Fury stated.  
"Excuse me, Sir?"  
"They call him a freak, a monster, they openly hate him. But he shows them respect. Listen to when he talks to them. He addresses them by title. Agent, Captain, Doctor."  
Agent Hill looked at Fury then back down at Loki. She had never really noticed that habit. And now that she thought about it, he always addressed her the same way as well. “He really does.”  
Fury rubbed his chin as he watched. “And I know he didn’t learn that from Stark.”  
Natasha watched Loki and flexed her neck. “Lots of things are ill-sport.” She moved suddenly, tossing a towel at Loki’s face and ducking down to get his knees.   
Tony was about to speak up against it but he felt Thor’s hand on his shoulder.   
“Let him do this.”  
Tony looked up at the thunder god curiously then looked back at the fight.   
Loki smacked the towel away behind doing a back flip to get away from her. He would not lay his hands on a woman. When she reached out to kick him he redirected the strike.   
"He's not going to hit any of them. He's holding back." Hill pointed out.  
Fury couldn’t help smiling to himself a bit. She was right. Loki wouldn’t hit them but it would be fun to watch everyone else try to get him.   
Natasha was surprised by how quickly Loki had moved. Granted, she hadn’t expected him to be useless hand to hand, but this was surprising. She quickly jumped after Loki, trying to knock him off his feet.   
Loki moved back from her. Moving away from him, he started to evade her strike's before finally grabbing one wrist to twist it behind her back and pushing her away.  
"Give it up Agent Romanov. You'll tire out before you hit me."  
“Now who’s being a sour sport?” She twisted back suddenly and tried again. She wouldn’t stop until she’d hit him.   
Tony laughed as he watched the fight go on.   
Loki stopped her on coming kick and tripped her other foot from under her but he stopped her from falling once again.   
Natasha growled and shoved Loki back. He was toying with her. He wasn’t even really trying in this, he was just blocking her blows. The assassin clenched her jaw as she looked at the god.   
Loki flashed her a smile. "If I let you land a hit, will you give up and let the next person have a go? I honestly don't want to be here all day."  
Natasha frowned and grabbed her towel. “Barton, your go.”  
The archer nodded and walked onto the floor, taking Natasha’s place. At least now he knew what to expect from Loki. He took a half step towards the god and suddenly swiped at him.   
Loki blocked the swipe and pulled Barton's legs from under him landing the man on his back. "Predictable."  
Clint groaned then quickly flipped and managed to land one hit on Loki’s knee. Tony tensed when he saw the hit, but judging by the look on the god’s face, it would be the only hit Barton would get.   
Falling to the ground, Loki caught Clint's leg and twisted him onto his front before straddling him to dig his own knee into the archer's back, while he pulled Barton's hands behind him.  
Barton hollered and tried to fight but couldn’t get free. Steve’s eyes widened as he watched. It was certainly surprising that Loki could fight so well.   
Thor didn’t seem surprised though. Instead, a small, proud smile formed on his lips. He’d seen his brother fight, and had fought with him more than once. This was nothing of Loki’s skill really. Put him in serious battle and then the others would truly get a sight of Loki’s power.   
Loki got off of him and put Barton back on his feet. "Now, go sit down." He ordered Barton.  
Clint didn't argue and took a seat next to Nat.  
"He's still dancing around them. I doubt we'll ever get the chance to see him in a full fight." Fury commented.  
"Sir, he still has Thor to go against and Rogers."   
"Agent Hill, he could still hold back and beat them."  
The brunette nodded, looking back towards the floor. It almost seemed that Loki was bored with this.


	136. Chapter 136

Steve stepped up next. He wasn’t expecting to land a hit on Loki; if two of the other Avengers hadn’t done it, he doubted he would. And he wasn’t about to get cock about it. He was interested in a good spar with the god though.   
“Are you going to dance around me too?” He smiled a bit as he walked onto the floor.   
"That depends. Let’s see what you can do, Captain." He stood and waited for the man's first strike, just like he'd done with Clint and Nat before him.  
Steve didn’t hit very hard. He wanted to get Loki started, see what the god would do and how he would fight. He wasn’t interested in dancing around; if he’d wanted that, he’d train alone. So his strikes were more testing.  
Loki new that Rogers would give me more of a challenge than the other two. Loki started to see a bit of pattern in all their movements. Dominate hand first. Planted stance. While they weren't dancing, Steve was trying to hurt Loki like his team mates were.  
Tony nibbled on his thumb as he watched this round. It was putting him on edge. Natasha and Barton had been too angry with Loki to really focus on fighting. Steve was another matter. He could remain level-headed now that he knew the truth. He wasn’t looking to hurt Loki; he just wanted a good fight.   
When Steve called it enough, he shook hands with Loki and went back to his seat.   
Thor was up next, he rolled his shoulders as he went up to his brother.  
"You know I’m not going to hold back on you like I've done for them." Loki said.  
"I don't want you too, Brother."  
This was where he got truly nervous. Tony nibbled his lower lip as he watched the two. The tension in the air rose suddenly and it seemed everyone could tell this would be intense. Even Natasha tensed when she saw the brothers face each other.   
“Sir, are you sure this is a good idea?”  
“Whatever beef they have needs to come out and it needs to come out now instead of during a mission.”   
Loki waited for his brother to strike. He could pick Thor about for days. He could dance around him like he'd done the others. He could also put Thor on his back like when they were teens.  
Thor made the first move and right to punch Loki in the face. Ducking down, he kicked Thor's legs from under him.   
The hulking blond barely managed to catch himself. He swiped at Loki’s legs then jumped back up onto his feet for another swing.   
Tony gasped louder than he’d meant to then cleared his throat and tried to play it off. Bruce had already heard him though and shook his head with a little smile.  
"I saw what Thor's other friends look like. They're all huge to say the least but looking at them compared to Loki. Thor said Loki was adopted but what the hell is he?" Fury questioned.  
"I believe Thor claimed that he was a frost giant, Sir." Hill answered.  
“Not much of a giant.” The director shook his head.   
Hill smiled and bobbed her head a bit. “Guess not, but he’s doing pretty well down there.”  
Thor took another swing at his brother. He’d sparred with Loki before, so he wasn’t new to his brother’s style. He also knew however, that knowing Loki’s fighting style did little to help in a fight.  
"There's more to the story that we don't know. Maybe one day we will know Loki's story." Fury smirked.  
"Sir?"  
"After that day when Loki told us what Thor has done, I started to think, just how much does he really lie?"   
Agent Hill looked at the director then back down at Loki. She crossed her arms and pursed her lips.   
“I guess there’s still plenty we don’t know. Makes you wonder just how much Stark really knows.”  
Thor threw another kick at his brother but minded himself. He stayed as far out of Loki’s reach as he could.   
Loki was getting sick of his brother. Going in closer, Loki blocked Thor's punches and finally tripped Thor up as he threw his shoulder into Thor's stomach and flipped the blonde over his shoulder.  
Thor groaned as he hit the ground then quickly picked himself up. “Finally done dancing are we?” He gave a smug grin.   
"Why dance with someone who doesn’t know how?"  
“We have fought this way before Loki. Your old tricks get quite dull.” Thor teased.   
"You say that now, Thor, but you were never able to predict my moves like I could predict yours." He smiled. Charging at Thor, Loki dropped to the floor to slide under his brother's spread legs. Before Thor could turn around, Loki was on his feet and, using Thor for leverage to do a hand stand on Thor's shoulders, using the combined weight to bring him down.  
The thunder god let out a loud, pained groan as he hit the ground. The force was enough to send a small quiver through the room and the rest of the Avengers tensed. Everyone half expected Thor to have something broken, but he stood no worse for the wear.   
“Still as quick as ever.” He grunted and rubbed his beck. “Could have been slightly less brutal.”  
Tony let go of a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.   
"What for? You knew what you were going to get when you stepped into this room. Thor, end it now. You know what I can do, you know I’m not even fighting at full strength or capacity. I’m just using your body against you."  
The blond prince nodded and shrugged. “I know too well Brother. Very well, I concede.” He bowed his head to Loki then stepped off the floor.   
Loki left the floor as well. "That's the end of that." Loki stated.  
“Good then we can go get dinner.” Tony stood.   
Loki nodded as he pulled his shoes on again. "Ready when you are."  
The inventor was more than ready to get out of there. He could feel Barton and Natasha glaring holes into him and Loki. Might as well leave before they develop a way to kill with their eyes alone. He left with Loki and headed back to the car.   
“You have fun?”  
"Tons of it." Loki answered, in a sarcastic tone. "They all got what they wanted, now they'll leave me alone. Now as much as you might like to be sweaty and don't mind going to bed as such, I’m going to shower once we get back."  
“Hey, a little sweat never killed anybody.” Tony looked at the god then back at the road. “Though I seem to remember someone promising I could join them for their next shower.”   
Loki nodded. "I did promise that, didn't I? Very well then."  
Tony grinned and they arrived at the tower soon after. He was going to enjoy this.   
Loki smiled as he walked into his room to get the shower started. He'd barely broken a sweat as he fought with the others.  
Tony followed close behind the god, looking him over slowly. He truly was amazingly well built. The inventor took off his jacket then began removing his shirt. “I don’t even know what you’re washing off. You don’t look sweaty at all.”  
"Just because I don't look it doesn't mean I didn’t get dirty or over heated while fighting." He explained.  
Tony raised his hands in surrender. “I’m not complaining. I’ll take any chance I can get to see you naked.” He smiled playfully.   
Loki checked the water before stripping and climbing in. "You would."  
“Hey, I’m not a picky man.” Tony climbed in after Loki and pressed a quick kiss to his shoulder.   
Loki chuckled, as he stood under the spray of water. "Why did you want to join me so badly?"  
“Why not? Have you seen your body?” Tony smiled then put his hands on the god’s hips. “And it’s nice to enjoy a warm shower with somebody you love.”  
Loki chuckled. "I suppose it is." He smiled. Leaning back against Stark, he realized the position didn’t work as well because of how tall he was.  
Tony pouted, pressing his lips to Loki’s shoulder. “You know it doesn’t help that you’re so much taller than me.” He turned Loki around and held him that way instead.   
"I was just thinking that." Loki pointed out. Looking down at him, he wrapped his arms around him.   
“Maybe I should start wearing heels around you.” Tony smiled and leaned in for a kiss.   
"Don’t, they are unattractive." Loki replied. "Shall we get out of the shower now?"  
“If you feel clean enough.” Tony rinsed out his hair.   
"I do." Loki replied. Loki rubbed at his ears a bit. "Agent Barton and Romanov must be complaining about me, my ears are hot."  
Tony laughed a bit and got out of the shower. “Sounds like something they would do. They’re probably throwing darts at a picture of you. If it makes you feel better, they have one of me too.”  
Loki started laughing at it. If they were lucky Thanos would never find him. If they weren't lucky, then at least he was right.  
Tony smiled then got dried off and dressed.   
“Sir, I have another reading from your satellites.”   
“Pull it up.” Tony looked at the hologram and frowned. “What the hell?”  
Loki poked his head back into the bathroom. "Aren’t you coming?"  
Tony didn’t answer right away. He looked at the hologram then back at Loki. “You need to see this.”  
Walking back into the bathroom, Loki went to stand next to him. "What's this?"  
“You see this?” Tony pointed to a cluster of lights on the image. “It’s a fleet moving towards us.” He looked at Loki. “It doesn’t look too big, but it’s moving fast.”  
Loki frowned. "Looks like we're all going to SHIELD then." Loki replied. The god was suddenly dressed in his armor with his hair pulled back from his face.  
Tony shut down the hologram and quickly got into his suit. He stepped out onto the landing pad and looked up at the sky as if expecting to see a fleet of aliens there already. He looked back at Loki. “Want a ride?”  
"I'll see you there." Loki disappeared from his sight. Loki arrived in Fury's office and looked at him. "I expect you know why I'm here?" he asked.  
"The others are already on their way. Where is Stark?"  
"On his way."  
Tony arrived moments after Loki and walked into Fury’s office. “Did you get the info?”  
The director nodded, his expression grim. “We haven’t been able to detect exactly what it is yet. You got any clearer images?”  
“No, Jarvis is monitoring it still.”  
"Do the signatures match anything else that has come through to Midgard?" Loki asked.  
Fury sighed and looked at the two men. “One thing.”  
Tony looked at Fury curiously then shook his head. “We killed them.”  
“Apparently not. This is either their pissed of ghost or something similar to the Chitauri.”  
“How is this even possible?”  
“I’m not the scientist here Stark. You tell me.”  
"Do you have a reading, a visual once of every something came through? Myself, Thor, The destroyer, The Chitauri? I need to see all of it." Loki said.  
“We don’t have much from when the Chitauri came through or you for that matter.” Fury stood and walked around his desk. “When Loki came through, the tesseract’s explosion destroyed any data we had on the incident. And we didn’t gather as much as we had hoped when the Chitauri came through.”  
“Is there a chance this is anything else?”  
Fury looked at Tony. “We all know there’s only one other thing it could be that matches this signature.”  
Hill came into the office. "Sir, the others are here." she said.   
Fury headed out of his office, leaving Loki and Tony to follow after him.  
Tony followed after Fury alongside Loki and they headed into the debriefing room.   
“What’s going on?” Natasha looked at Fury curiously.   
Steve and Bruce were sitting, both looking at Fury tentatively.   
"Something is coming for us. We can't register the signature and we don't know who or what it is." Fury explained.  
“Is there anything we do know?”  
“Nothing for certain. All we can tell for now is that the signature is similar to the Chitauri, but even that’s sketchy info.”  
“How much time do we have?”  
“Not much.” Tony interjected. “Three days, maybe a week but not much longer.”  
"So everyone has to be on guard." Fury stated.


	137. Chapter 137

"We sure it isn't the freak just trying to take over the world again?" Natasha answered.  
Tony looked at the assassin but Fury spoke up, stopping him.   
“While I’m sure it would be easy to blame this on Laufeyson, it’s also stupid. His magic is restricted and heavily monitored by Thor’s father.” Fury looked at everyone in the room. “Don’t start acting stupid just because Laufeyson is here. I need all of you to focus.”  
"Stark is screwing him and blinded. Just because he doesn’t have all his magic doesn't mean he can't plot." Natasha replied.  
"Let me remind you Agent Romanov, I call the shots here. Right now we have a threat coming for us, now either you act like the agent you were trained to be or you leave." Fury ordered.  
Natasha pursed her lips but didn’t say anything else. Tony frowned at the woman, clenching his jaw.   
“If anyone else in this room can’t focus on the mission, get out. I don’t need you all focusing on Laufeyson when we have a real threat coming at us.”  
“How soon will we know what this is?”  
“Not soon enough.” Tony answered. “At least not through Jarvis.”  
“I could speak to my father. Perhaps Heimdall could tell us more.” Thor spoke up.   
"He would be the only one who could see it. Best go now so we know how to prepare for it." Loki suggested.  
Thor nodded and quickly left.   
“How do we prepare for this?”  
“We’ll need better weapons and armor. Even if it isn’t more Chitauri, at the very least we learned something from that battle.”   
"Tony and I will see what we can do by then." Bruce replied.  
"Nat and I will get started on the plan." Steve added.  
They needed to be ready for anything.  
“I need everyone to be ready for whatever comes at us.”  
Tony headed off with Bruce to get started on whatever they might need. “Where do we start?”  
"Arrows for Clint. He's going to need those, especially the exploding ones." Bruce said. He went on an entire list of everything they needed.  
Tony took note of everything and nodded. “Let’s get started.” He got to work with Bruce, starting with the arrows.  
“I need to talk to you for a moment.” Fury looked at Loki and walked back to his office with the god.   
Loki followed after him. Stepping into the office, Loki closed the door behind him. "Yes, Director?"  
“This Thanos character, just how badly does he want to get back at you for not handing over the tesseract?”  
"He could have had earth in his hands if it weren't for me." he said.  
“That bad huh?” Fury rubbed his chin and shook his head. “If you know anything about how we can defend ourselves against this guy, now might be the best time to tell me.”  
"I don't know." Loki answered honestly. "We either hope that nothing like that happens or that something happens to him before he finds us. Because if he comes, the chances of all of us living are slim."  
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Fury looked away from Loki and out the window. “Let’s start praying that whatever’s coming at us isn’t him then.”  
Loki hummed. "Then we're doomed." He replied.  
Fury was on pins and needles now. There was no way they could prepare against something this big, even if it wasn’t exactly Thanos. They had barely scraped by against the Chitauri, and that was sheer dumb luck.   
"You should start making preparations to clear out the city. If it is Thanos, more lives will be lost, he has no mercy. Men, women and children, young or old, it will not matter to him."  
“I didn’t think he’d be the merciful type.” Fury looked at Loki. “But I also doubt he’ll stop at New York. We can’t really evacuate the entire planet.”  
"No, but it will give us the chance to save what we can. Destroy him if we can." Loki explained.  
“And what are the odds we can do that?” Fury wasn’t expecting there to be much chance at all.   
"You'll have myself and Thor to help. If push comes to shove, Thor can call for his friends and the Allfather. There is a key to Thanos' power. A gauntlet. If it comes off, he is a great deal weaker but he is still stronger than the rest of us. If it comes off, we have a fighting chance."  
“Then let’s hope he left it at home.”   
Tony and Bruce had finished off the arrows and were working on some new weapons for the others.   
“What do you think this is?”  
“Honestly? I don’t want to think about it.”  
Bruce looked at his friend and nodded slightly. He knew what Tony was thinking and why it made him nervous.   
"Do you think it's anything Loki told you about?" he asked. Bruce was worried that it would be something that Loki talked about. That they would be in for the fight of their life.  
“He’s told me about a lot of scary shit out there, but the only thing I can think of is Thanos.”  
“The guy that sent Loki here?”  
Tony nodded. “He’s probably pissed that he didn’t get the tesseract.”  
"But it’s not even here anymore. So why come here?" Bruce questioned. What he wanted wasn't on earth. What was the point in looking for it?  
The inventor pursed his lips. “Because Loki’s still here. I don’t know how this guy’s brain works, but there’s a thousand possibilities. He might think Loki took the tesseract for himself or that he handed it over to Asgard. He might think he can still use Loki to get it.”  
Bruce nodded as Tony shared the information with him. "If it does come to it being Thanos, on short notice, how soon can you clear the city?"  
Tony looked at Bruce then back at the weapons they were working on. “If this is Thanos, I don’t think it’ll matter if we clear the city out or not. From what Loki’s told me, this guy isn’t the I’ll-let-you-live type.”  
Loki watched Fury for a moment as he tried to think. "As soon as we know, we'll clear the city out."  
“I’ve got teams on standby in case we need it. I only hope it doesn’t come to that.”   
Down in the labs, Tony and Bruce finished up on the weapons and started on plans for the armor.   
“We’ll have to plate it so it can handle blasts from the Chitauri guns. Hopefully it’ll work against whatever else is coming at us.”  
Thor returned with news that was not pleasing. Heimdall, with all that his eyes could see, could not see what was coming for them.  
“Of course he can’t see what this is.” Fury sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose.   
“I am sorry Director, but it is out of Heimdall’s line of vision.”  
“I don’t know if this is better or worse than finding out it might be Thanos.”  
Everyone came together again, Natasha glaring at Loki as she had before. "What do we do?"  
"Put our heads between our knees and kiss our asses goodbye." Clint answered.  
“How about we come up with something useful?” Steve looked at the archer sternly then back at Fury, though he felt they weren’t about to get good news.   
“This is going to be the biggest fight we’ve ever fought. And according to Loki and Thor, if this is Thanos, there’s really no way to kill him. We’re going to have to hope we can chase the guy off.”  
“Please tell me you have a plan.” Tony looked at Fury nervously.   
"You can't chase him off. He is powerful, and ruthless. He has no mercy." Loki shared. "He wears a gauntlet. If that can be removed, we'll have a chance but getting it off is no easy task."  
“Of course it’s not.” Clint sighed heavily. “So what do we do? Ask him nicely if he’ll hold his hand out while we wrestle that thing off?”   
“We’ll fight is what we’ll do.” Fury looked at them sternly. “We have allies in this. I’ve contacted a few people and given them a heads up.”  
"No, the less people the better." He said.  
"My brother is right, the people you called in will only get in our way. I have called upon my friends to help us." Thor added.  
“I don’t think you two understand just how big this city is. Evacuation efforts are already underway and if you think eight can handle the mess that’s coming at us, then you’ve all lost it. This isn’t just about Thanos, this is about trying to keep him in one place so we can figure out what the hell to do next. This is about getting everyone out of this city safely, including hundreds of homeless people that won’t be able to leave.”  
Everyone grew silent, knowing this was true. They couldn’t risk the massive body count this would bring with it.   
"If Thanos is coming, he's coming for me." Loki replied. "He'll come for me because I failed, and then he'll come for the rest of you because you'll be standing in his way." Loki said.   
"So what’s the plan?"  
"What part of the city of already evacuated? We'll start there, it'll stall for time. Let everyone else get out.”  
"Perhaps you should stall him out to sea and then lure him in, ambush." Thor plotted.   
"That is as good as a plan is going to get." Loki answered.  
“Everything on the shore has already been cleared a mile in.”   
“That should give us enough space to hold the guy here, assuming he doesn’t bring anything else with him.” Tony looked at Loki as he spoke. They could only pray they were dealing with Thanos and not another army as well.   
He nodded. "Then it's set. I'll hold him out to sea as long as I can, clear as much more as you can in that time." he said.   
"Sir, we have a visual!" one of the men at the computers shouted out. Throwing it up on a larger screen Loki frowned.  
"Well, Laufeyson?"  
"It's Thanos."  
The Avengers all paled at the image they say. Well, at least now they knew what it was.   
“Oh my God.” Natasha said quietly.   
Steve stared at the image then looked at Tony. “We done with those weapons and armor?”  
“Almost.” Tony and Bruce darted back down into the lab to put the finishing details on the armor. “Jarvis, how much time do we have?”   
“Ten hours until Thanos lands Sir.”  
“I want updates on the evacuation. Everyone needs to be clear of the area where Laufeyson is going to be.”  
Thor looked at his brother with fear in his eyes. “Loki, you cannot possibly hope to fight him off alone.”  
"No, I said I would stall for time. Let him come closer and then I will go to him. I can stall him for only so long before he over powers me. The goal is to get his gauntlet off." Loki said. Loki sighed, he could feel eyes on him. He wanted to forget that he'd told the truth, that he hadn't been lying and everything they'd been putting him through was unjustified.   
Thor looked at his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. “I know I have failed you as a brother, but I will not fail you now.” He spoke in Old Norse so only Loki would understand. “I am sorry for the pain that I have caused you.”  
Bruce and Tony finished with the armor and got everyone fitted and armed. The city was mostly empty by now.   
Loki nodded. He would give Thanos another hour before going to meet him. The city was clearing out at a steady rate  
Going down to the lab, Loki stopped Tony for a moment. "It's time for me to go." It was cliché. He didn't care, he had to say good bye. The chance that either of them couldn't walk away from this was too great.  
Tony looked at the god and there was nothing but dread in his eyes. “Don’t say this like it’s the last time I’ll ever see you. You better make it out of this alive or I’ll drag your sorry ass out of hell and kill you myself.”  
Bruce glanced over at the two but stayed quiet. He could imagine how Tony felt; he’d felt it once before.   
"But it wouldn't be right if I don't say something. Even if you can drag me out of hell.” Resting his forehead on Tony's, he kissed the man's nose. "Thank you, for listening to me when you did. For giving me that chance and showing me a great deal of kindness and love. I love you." Loki sighed.


	138. Chapter 138

A knot formed in the inventor’s throat as he looked at Loki. He held the god’s neck and kissed him hard. “I love you too. So come back alive.”  
The sky was darkening outside, much in the same way as when the Bifrost opened up. This however, looked much more insidious. The clouds churned and a purple hue settled in.   
“Looks like he’s getting close.” Fury noted as he looked up at the sky before turning to Hill. “I’ll assume you know what to do if something goes wrong.”  
The woman tensed but nodded. “Yes Sir.”  
Loki didn't answer him as he disappeared from sight. Loki put himself out as far as he could, looking around for Thanos. Waiting.  
“Eager to die, aren’t we?” A booming voice spoke but its owner remained out of sight. The clouds churned and a wicked lightning streak ran across the sky.   
Tony had his suit on and tensed as he got a look at the outside. There was going to be absolute hell to fight through. He looked at the others and they seemed to share his anxiety.   
If it hadn't been as serious as it was, Loki could rub the moment in their faces about telling the truth.   
"You witless coward. I should have killed you the moment I called myself saving you!" Thanos shouted at him.  
The others had moved into position, tensing when they heard another massive rumble from above. The streets were clear now; all they had to do was make sure Thanos didn’t move outside of their perimeter.  
Tony scanned the area before looking back towards Loki. He couldn’t see the god from where he was, but at least he knew Loki wasn’t dead. Yet.  
Loki hadn't said anything when he felt his full power return to him. Not taking the chance, Loki threw the first attack, purposely missing the target, but not have the desired effect to make Thanos follow it.   
The purple skinned alien finally revealed himself, sneering down at Loki. “I hope that’s not the best you can do. If I remember correctly, you’re just a bit stronger than that.”   
Tony felt a chill go down his spine as a small army of aliens began to pour out of the sky. “Well shit.”   
"Maybe I am. Maybe I've no powers at all." Loki replied. Loki's eyes landed on his gauntlet, he had to get it off of him.  
“I am not so foolish as all that, Son of No One. I know well that you have your powers back.” Thanos smirked. “Though even at full strength, you and your friends will not do much.” He suddenly lunged at Loki and punched the god down.  
Loki took the hit and retaliated with a blow of his own. He was not the son of no one. He was not the monster people made him out to be. Feeling his own anger rise in him, Loki attacked him with all he had.   
Thanos was surprised by the surge of strength in Loki. He wouldn’t be so easily beat though. The alien laughed and threw more punches. “Not bad for a runt!”  
“Guys, how are you doing on that perimeter?” Tony shouted into his earpiece and shot down two more aliens. These things seemed to go down easily enough, but there were so many of them.   
“We’re barely holding it!” Natasha replied.   
"Not bad for a mindless brute." Loki threw back. It was time to stop fighting like a gentlemen and start fighting like the trickster he was. Conjuring up a few clones he smiled at Thanos. "Which one of us is the real one?" They all asked.  
Thanos snarled at the clones then smirked. “I was wondering when you would stop playing around.” He clapped his hands hard and an energy wave flew out, throwing the clones back.   
“Are there any more of these things coming?” Steve asked as he took down another alien.   
“I don’t think so, but there’s still a shit ton of them out here!” Clint responded and took out another three.   
“Stark, we’ve got them heading downtown!”  
Tony blasted a few more of the creatures then took off. “Got it!”  
Loki and the clones started to circle around Thanos, throwing anything they could at him.  
"You worthless waste of space!" Thanos shouted. "I could have had this worthless planet in the palm of my hand by now."  
Tony found the other creatures. It was a fair sized group; he’d have to work fast. He released his shoulder missiles and blasted at the others with his glove. “I’ve got this group!”  
“Rogers, they’re spilling out near the bay!” Natasha shot down as many creatures as she could before quickly reloading her guns.   
The Hulk roared and smashed more creatures.  
There was suddenly another flash of purple energy across the sky. The air seemed to quiver.   
Taking out another creature, Clint turned on his communication to Tony. "Hey Stark. What color is Loki's magic?" he asked. What he was seeing didn’t look like a great sign that Loki was winning.  
“Not that color.” Tony looked up at the sky worried.   
Thanos tossed Loki to the ground and a large crater formed around the god as he hit. The purple alien laughed and charged his gauntlet with energy. “You may as well give in now and accept your fate!”   
“Stark, I need you!” Steve called into his ear piece, struggling to keep the creatures back on his front.   
Tony frowned and took off to where Steve was.   
"You are not my fate. My fate was not to die at birth, just as it will not be to die by your hand or anyone else’s. My fate is my own!" Loki shouted as he picked himself up and charged at Thanos, using a powerful spell of his own.  
Thanos charged at Loki and threw a punch. There was a massive blast of white light as their attacks struck and the windows on buildings too nearby got blown out.   
Tony felt the wave and had to re-stabilize himself as it swept by.   
“What the hell was that?” Natasha looked up at the sky, her eyes widening as she watched the blast.   
With Loki being so close to Thanos, he took the chance to change forms from Aesir to Jotun and reach for the gauntlet to freeze it.  
Thanos paused for a moment as Loki shifted, surprised by the sudden change. When he felt the Jotun grab his arm, the frost immediately began to bite at his skin. Thanos snarled and tried to pull away from Loki, hitting him in the side with his other hand. “Release me!”  
Tony was trying to take out the small wave of aliens that were making their way through the city, but this was worse than the Chitauri. Every time they killed one another immediately took its place.   
“We can’t keep holding them like this!”  
“There’s another wave coming through!”  
Loki tightened his grip crushing the gauntlet for what it was. "You place too much of your power in objects." He said. Disappearing from sight, Loki ran off to find Tony. They had to go, they needed to leave the area if Loki was going to put an end to this.  
Thanos pulled his arm back as Loki vanished and looked at the damaged gauntlet. While he wasn’t powerless, he was weakened without the gauntlet. The alien growled out and looked for Loki as the second wave of creatures came through.   
The rest of the Avengers were starting to feel the fatigue from the alien army. Even Tony was starting to get worn down. He sent out another blast, taking out five creatures.   
“We have to pull back or they’ll swarm us!”  
Unable to find Tony Loki found his brother instead.  
"Brother is Thanos taken care of?" the blonde asked.  
"No but you all need to get away from here as far as possible. Go now, take the others, and drag Anthony out with you if you have to." Loki explained.  
Thor looked at his brother but nodded. “Loki, please be careful. Anthony Stark will never forgive himself should you not return to him.” Thor clasped his brother’s shoulder then took off.   
“Move back, move back!” Steve shouted as the swarm kept coming at them. He threw his shield again, clearing out several creatures before more jumped in. He looked up and sighed relieved as Thor landed, blasting back a large portion of the creatures.   
“We must clear this area.”  
“What?”  
“Loki has told me we must all retreat as far back as we can. It would be wise to heed his word.”  
Steve looked at Thor for a moment then spoke into his ear piece. “Everybody move this way and out of the city. We need to clear out.”  
"Don't you think we're already working on that?" Clint asked.  
“No, we have to go further than what he planned to go." Thor explained. Steve grabbed Clint while Thor took Natasha so they could get out of the area sooner.  
Tony flew with them as they moved further back, carrying Bruce in his arms. “Where’s Loki?”  
“He is finishing this.”  
“Alone?” Tony looked at Thor then scoffed and got ready to take off only to be held back.   
“Anthony, if you go you will only be in the way. Thanos will easily crush you.”  
“So we leave Loki alone to do this?’  
"Come out and show your face to me you coward!" Thanos shouted. Loki finally made himself known to Thanos. "You witless worm. You are nothing but a runt and a disappointment." he taunted throwing another attack at Loki.  
The green eyed man didn’t get the chance to dodge the spell.  
There was another blast of light as the attack hit, and Tony had to will himself to stay put. He didn’t want to leave Loki out there alone, but he knew Thor was right; if they tried to get in the way, they would just make things worse.   
“I should not have sent you to this planet. I should have come here myself and taken this pathetic rock!” Thanos called out and readied another spell.  
"I am not a runt! I am the son of a king. I am Loki Friggason born of Jotunheim and Asgard." he declared.  
"Sir, the city is being overwhelmed and the Avengers are backing out." Agent Hill told him.  
Fury sighed heavily then looked out his window. He couldn’t see the fight, but he could see the sky more than well enough. “Can you connect me to Stark?”  
The agent nodded and dialed for Tony.   
“This better be important.” Tony answered the call quickly.   
Thanos sneered down at Loki. “You are a runt of the liter. Tossed onto a rock to die and rescued for personal gain. Loki the Runt, Son of No One!” He threw another spell at the Jotun and the sky churned.   
"Stark what the hell is going on down there?" Fury asked. "More of those things are pouring in and you're all backing off. I got half a mind to drop a bomb out there."  
“That won’t really help. These things just keep coming. Every time we start clearing them out, more show up.” Tony watched the sky as more waves of magic flew across. “Thor said Loki’s finishing this, but he needed us to clear the area.”  
"Damn it! Look I don't care how you do it but get it through to your boyfriend that if he doesn’t handle Thanos in the next 10 minutes I'm dropping a bomb on the area; there's too many of them."  
“We’re doing what we can out here!” Tony shouted back then blasted more aliens. “And I’m helping you pay for all the damage you do with a bomb!” He looked over at Thor. “What’s Loki’s plan on this?”  
Thanos gripped Loki by the collar of his shirt and charged his other hand with energy. “You were foolish to face me alone, Runt.” He sneered. “But now I’ll have a good example for those who fail me.”   
Changing again, Loki forced Thanos to let him go by turning into a Jotun. Disappearing from sight, he tried to think of a plan. Something, anything.  
There was a loud crack of thunder and a large blue bolt struck Thanos in the back. It knocked the alien to the ground and Thor landed some meters away.   
“Keep your hands off my brother!” His eyes glowed blue and sparks of lightening danced around him. Even if he couldn’t defeat Thanos, Thor could at least keep him from killing Loki.   
Loki came out of hiding to see his brother facing off with Thanos.   
Thor put himself by his brother’s side. "Brother, Fury is going to drop a bomb in a matter of minutes if you do not destroy him." He motioned to Thanos.  
Loki looked at him and then at the creatures still coming from the sky. "Thor, I need you to stall him for a few minutes." Loki took off. Concentrating he used a powerful spell to pull the creatures into the area with him and Thanos.   
"They're out of time, send it in." Fury ordered.


	139. Chapter 139

Thor took off, ready to stop anything Fury might send. “Director! You must give my brother more time!” He spoke into his earpiece, hoping Fury would listen.  
Tony was running low on energy by now and his blasts weren’t doing much to keep the creatures back. “Damn it!” He growled out annoyed then frowned confused as the monsters were suddenly pulled back.   
“What’s going on?” Natasha watched curiously.   
"There is no more time." Fury said.  
"Thor, get everyone back as far as possible and quickly. Go now."   
Loki could already see the aircraft ready to drop the bomb. Creating a barrier, Loki forced the army and Thanos into the space as the bomb fell.  
Tony had grabbed the rest of their group and was flying them as far out of the blast zone as he could.   
Thor flew and quickly caught up to Tony, grabbing Steve and Bruce so they could get out of the way faster.   
Thanos watched as the bomb came down and he howled angrily at Loki before the explosion. Fury was careful this time; the bomb would only take out their evacuation area to ensure the aliens didn’t survive.   
Loki captured the bomb inside the barrier with himself on the outside. Holding it there, he locked eyes with Thanos. "Not bad for a runt and the son of no one." he said.  
The bomb went off, and while a large bulk of the explosive power was contained in Loki’s barrier, a wave of hot air still blasted out. Windows shattered and several trees were knocked over, though it seemed there wasn’t nearly as much damage as everyone had thought there would be.   
Tony looked back when he heard the explosion and he felt his stomach sink. Had Loki made it out of range? Was he still alive even?   
Loki had still been too close. He'd been pushed back by the force and sent him flying back, getting lost in a pile of rubble, robbed of any power he'd had left and exhausted. For once it was the god that needed medical attention. If they could find him that was.  
Tony flew out into the blast zone, relieved to find Thanos and the aliens he’d brought were gone. Unfortunately, so was Loki.   
“Jarvis, find him!”  
“I am scanning the area now Sir. Judging from the size of the blast, you may wish to fly more north.”  
Tony nodded and followed Jarvis’ instruction.   
Thor came along to join him for the search. A few agents from SHIELD began to show up to help gather the others and get them medical attention.   
"Captain Rogers, start talking to me. What's going on down there?" Fury asked.  
“Thanos and the other aliens are gone but we can’t find Loki. He was right in the blast zone.” Being enhanced with super soldier serum had its perks. One of them was that Steve walked out of this unscathed. He looked around for Loki, but there was a pretty big mess left over. “Looks like Loki held everything in a barrier.”  
“Sir, I believe I have his signature. There an abnormally cold spot twenty meters from you.”   
Tony flew directly towards it and began pulling rubble away. “Loki!”  
Hearing Tony cry out Loki's name, Steve rushed over to them to help him along with Thor.   
Loki was in a crumpled heap, far worse for wear.   
"Do not move him Sir, this is something that must be done by the medical team of SHIELD." Jarvis warned.   
“Get the medics over here!” Tony shouted over at some of the agents and looked Loki over. At least he was alive, though barely.   
The agents went over quickly and started tending to Loki as best they could. Finally able to move him, they rushed Loki off to SHIELD med center.   
After a few hours, Loki had been laid out in a bed, stripped of his armor and stuck in a paper gown.  
Tony headed to SHIELD as quickly as he could, relieved to hear that Loki was stable. He went over to the room where Loki was but wasn’t allowed inside.   
“What happened?” Fury walked over to Tony.   
The inventor sighed and shook his head. “If Thanos ever comes back, we’re really not going to have it any easier. The only reason anybody is alive right now is because Loki almost got himself blown up.”  
"Thanos isn't coming back. He's literately been vaporized. Whatever Loki did worked. Thanos is gone as is his army. But what happened to him?" he asked. "I've seen him and Thor get tossed, burned, and shot at and it's never done a thing to them."  
“He was standing right there when the bomb went off.” Tony couldn’t look at Fury as he spoke. He watched Loki and balled his hands into fists. “He put up a barrier and the blast wasn’t completely contained.”  
"There's a lot less damage than if it would have been dropped on the whole thing. Come on Stark, before I have them put you down. You know it won't do you any good if you stay here."  
“I’m not leaving until he wakes up.” Tony looked at Fury, his jaw clenched. He wasn’t going anywhere until he knew Loki was alright.   
"Then you will be here for a long time." Thor said. Coming over to the pair, he looked at his brother. "My brother is drained of all his magic, entirely. There is no telling how long it will take him to recover from all of this."  
“But he’ll recover, right?” Tony looked at Thor afraid. He didn’t want Loki to die, and he certainly didn’t want the god to be stuck in this sleeping state.   
Fury almost couldn’t believe how scared Tony was. The last time he’d seen the man like this was after he’d been told what had happened to his parents.   
"Eventually. But in the meantime, you cannot let yourself become ill because of his current state. Pleas Anthony, go home and sleep." Thor urged.  
Tony looked at Loki for a moment before finally leaving and heading back to the tower. He didn’t want to leave Loki at SHIELD alone, but he knew the god would be safe there.   
Thor stayed with his brother once everyone had gone. "I am sorry for never believing you little brother. From now on, I will always listen to what you have to say."  
Tony sat in his lab, fidgeting in his chair. He didn’t want to be so far away from Loki, especially not now. Thor was right though; who knows how long Loki would be out? And he doubted Fury would let him move into SHIELD.   
By the end of the first week, there had been no change in Loki. He'd not moved, flinched or anything else. He was still, pale and looked out of place.  
Thor was worried for his brother. He stayed by the bedside, watching over Loki as he slept. He feared Loki would never wake. It almost looked like the Odin sleep.   
Tony stopped by that day. He had been going to see Loki every day, hoping there would be some change.   
In the dead of night, an older looking man dressed in a suit, with a thick beard, one covered eye and entirely grey, arrived. Entering the room with his sons, Odin sighed as he looked upon them both.   
Thor was asleep on the chair next to Loki’s bed, a few empty cups of coffee on the small table next to him. Tony had been bringing the thunder god food and even a tablet to keep him occupied. At the moment, the inventor was out getting more coffee.   
"It is time to come home my son." Odin whispered, a light glowed in the room, faintly before disappearing and taking the dark haired man with him.  
Thor shifted when he felt the familiar magic. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Father?”   
“Brought you more cof…” Tony dropped the cups he’d been carrying when he saw Loki gone. “Where is he?!”  
“Calm yourself Anthony, all is well!” Thor stood and went to the inventor. “I felt my father’s presence. I believe he has taken Loki to Asgard.”  
Tony looked at the god and he felt even more afraid. “He went back to Asgard?”  
"My father has taken him there to help him heal. This is good for him, he will get the proper care he needs." Thor explain.  
Tony nodded slowly, trying to calm himself down. “But he doesn’t have to go back forever, right? He’ll be back when he’s better?”  
Thor smiled a bit and put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “He will return for you Anthony. Loki loves you quite dearly.”  
He couldn’t help smiling a bit when Thor said this. Tony was still worried though and now he couldn’t even visit the god.   
It was a long two months before Loki finally returned. The area that had been destroyed in the blast was already well on its way to being repaired.   
Tony had been helping with some of the bigger repairs. He’d helped pay for some of the older building to be rebuilt; the city couldn’t quite cover everything alone.   
“Jarvis, move my appointment back to five.”  
“Very well Sir.”  
Tony had a drink in his hand as he scrolled through his phone. Seemed there was good news; his satellites were no longer picking up anything strange. Looked like for once they were safe. He tensed when the sky outside darkened and churned.   
“What’s coming through? I thought Thor was here already?”  
Jarvis had not felt an energy such as this before. Loki hadn't been at full strength for them to recognize it when they saw it.   
"Sir. I’m getting a feed from the roof. It's Loki."  
Tony quickly dropped what he’d been holding and ran up to the roof. Could it really be Loki? Was he finally back? Tony got up onto the roof and stopped when he saw Loki. The god certainly looked different. His armor looked fresh and new and he seemed so much more alive.   
"Hello Anthony." he smiled at him. There was a shift and suddenly the armor was gone, changed out for a pair of jeans and a button down shirt.  
Tony walked up to the god, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and kissed him hard. He’d missed Loki so much. Everything seemed so hollow without him around and Tony couldn’t even figure out why. “Can you stop almost dying?”  
Wrapping his arms around him, Loki returned the man's kiss. "I can't make promises I can't keep." he smiled.  
Tony scoffed but held Loki tight. He could feel his heart racing in his chest, but at least now, he had Loki back.   
"All you said was that I had to come back. You never said when I had to come back." Loki replied.  
“Yeah well next time don’t stay away so long. I won’t live as long as you will, remember?” Tony looked up into the god’s face and held his cheek.   
"I'll make my trips away from you shorter." Loki replied.  
“You’d better.” Tony kissed Loki again then walked inside with him. “Everybody’s been asking how you’re doing, even Natasha.”  
"Could even Thor not tell them that I was on the mend?"  
“Oh he did, but that didn’t stop them from asking.” Tony gave a little smile. “Though mostly it was me asking. I just…just wanted to make sure you were coming back.”  
"I have to keep my promises." Loki said.  
Tony smiled at the god. “Guess I should have known better, huh?”   
"Don't ever doubt me."  
“Yeah well quit leaving.” Tony kissed Loki again then rested his forehead against the god’s shoulder. “So what happened while you were there?”   
"I got better. Spent a bit of time with Odin. We've spoken, and it's time to rebuild Jotunheim, for me to learn about the place I come from." he replied.  
“Are you sure about that?” Tony didn’t know all the details yet, but he knew that relations between Loki and his roots were strenuous at best. He did, after all, try to kill their king.  
"This is best. I need to make things right after what I've done." Loki explained.  
Tony nodded and sighed. “Guess that means you’ll be gone a lot, huh?”  
"Off and on for a while." Loki replied.  
“Of course.” Tony huffed but didn’t complain. He had Loki back, and by the looks of things, the god had been given his full power again.   
"Come on, let go inside. I've been dying to spend a day in bed with you for weeks."


	140. Chapter 140

Tony grabbed Loki’s hand and went with him to the bedroom. “Now you know how I’ve felt since you left.”   
"No I don't. I just knew something was missing." Loki replied.  
Tony rolled his eyes before pulling Loki close and falling onto the bed with him. “Admit it, you missed me.”  
"I just did." Loki replied.  
“Say it again. I like hearing that I’m wanted.” Tony smiled at the god.  
"I missed you." Loki replied.  
Tony looked into the god’s eyes and cupped Loki’s cheek in his hand. “I missed you too.”  
Pulling him close, Loki settled down with him for a little while, enjoying the man being next to him once more before he started to drift off.  
Tony eventually dozed off as well, his grip on Loki never loosening. He stayed pressed close to the god, afraid Loki would vanish suddenly.  
In the morning Loki was still there. Still alive, still fast asleep.  
Tony smiled when he saw the god still there, and he curled closer to Loki. He pressed a soft kiss to Loki’s forehead then closed his eyes again.  
Loki tightened his hold on the man with a smile.  
“Sir.”  
Tony groaned.   
“Director Fury is on his way.”  
He groaned again, a little more upset this time.  
"What does he want this time?" Loki grumbled.  
"I do not know Mr. Laufeyson and I would also like to welcome you back." Jarvis said.  
Tony got up from the bed and ran a hand over his face. “I’ll deal with him. You just hide out in here.” Tony looked at Loki then kissed him.  
"I'm a free god once more Anthony." Loki reminded him.  
He looked back at the god and Tony smiled, nodding. “Guess you’re right, huh?” He stepped out of the room as Fury arrived and met the man in the living room. “Are you here to yell at me for something?”  
“Not this time. We got some readings coming from the tower, and since you didn’t call me panicking about it, I’m assuming Laufeyson came back.”  
“Yeah, he did.”  
Loki was already getting dressed so he could go to the front room.  
"You know I want to see him." Fury said.  
"I'm right here, Director Fury." Loki offered the man a smile.  
Fury looked at Loki and nodded a bit. “Good to see you’re all in one piece. That energy signature was different this time around.”  
“He has his full power back now.”  
"So now you're the big bad wolf once again." Fury smirked.  
"That’s about right. Thanos will never return and Midgard is safe once again. Well for now it is." he chuckled.  
“Well I have some more good news for you; the Council has decided to pardon you. Seems nearly getting yourself killed saving our planet goes a long way.”  
Tony smiled a bit to himself. Who knew all it took was Loki nearly getting blown up to prove he was innocent?  
Loki found it almost laughable. "Only you would think this a good thing. I told you I was telling the truth." he said.  
“I hope you can understand why we didn’t exactly trust you in the beginning. Unlike you, I can’t magically tell when someone’s lying.”  
“So he’s completely pardoned?”  
Fury nodded. “No more restrictions, and if what Thor told me is true, seems like he’s been given the same pardon on Asgard.”  
"I have. I am reinstated, and crown prince once more." Loki replied. "Odin was able to see what happened and knew that I told the truth when Thanos finally came to show himself."   
Fury nodded. "Well I can suspect that there would be a few other people who would want to see you." Fury commented.  
“Yeah, Barton owes you a pretty big apology after this.” Tony smirked and shook his head. After the fight with Thanos, it was a bit harder to deny what Loki had been telling everyone.   
“I doubt you’ll hear much of an apology, but at least now the air’s been cleared.”  
"I honestly don't care if they apologize or not, I was telling the truth. I have my freedom, my powers and I'm happy with that." Loki replied.  
"Good, because now I don't have to order them over here." Fury said.  
“I don’t think they’d come over here anyway with all that egg on their faces.” Tony chuckled and even Fury gave a little smile.  
“We get it Stark; you were right and we were all wrong.”  
Loki chuckled. "Director a fair warning to you, I'll be coming and going from Midgard numerous times. No need for high alarm of the energy signature you get." Loki explained.  
“Now that we know it’s you, there won’t be any need for panic.” Fury nodded his head. “You’re no longer a threat to Midgard and you aren’t bound to SHIELD or the Avengers. Any moves you make won’t be any more monitored than your brother’s.”  
Nodding, Loki knew he'd be leaving in two days to get started on Jotunheim.   
Fury excused himself and left. At least this wasn’t some foreign alien this time.   
Tony watched the man go then looked at Loki. “Would you ever consider helping the Avengers again? I know you’re not obligated to anymore.”  
"I would consider it, if you truly needed me. But you'll have Thor for that and I doubt the others want me around very much. So I'll be making myself scarce."  
“I don’t know. After Thanos, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t mind having your help.” Tony smiled.   
Loki shrugged. "Maybe, but tomorrow I have to go back. I have to start the work I told you about."  
Tony’s smile faltered but he nodded. It seemed he would have to get used to Loki being gone for a few days at a time. “Just as long as you come back.”  
"I will. Even if I don't come back the way I left, I'll be back."  
Tony looked into the god’s eyes. “Alright.” He didn’t want Loki to leave, but at least it wasn’t forever. “Just remember not to leave for too long.” He smiled.   
"It won't be a two month stretch like before."  
“I hope not. My hand isn’t nearly as good company as you are.” The inventor grinned playfully.   
"So vulgar." he said.  
“And yet you still love me.” Tony grinned.  
"That I do." Loki leaned in to kiss him. "Come on, time to eat."  
“Actually, how do you feel about going out somewhere to eat?”   
"Just can't wait to show me off can you?" Loki asked with a smile.  
“You look amazing and I want everyone to see that.” Tony kissed the god’s cheek.  
Loki smiled at him. "Just not too long outside. Your summer months are horrendous."  
“We can go somewhere cold then. Canada, maybe Russia. It’s always snowing then.”  
Loki smiled. "We'll just stay in the shade." he replied.  
“Sounds like a plan. We can go to the Malibu house, enjoy the pool. And there aren’t any travel limits on you anymore.” Tony put his arms around Loki’s waist and pulled him close. “So, why don’t we get dressed and go?”   
"I'm still leaving tomorrow morning." He said.  
The inventor huffed. “Not if I tie you to the bed.” He joked then went to get ready for their outing.  
Loki put himself into jeans and button down. He smiled to himself, thinking on how Stark had kept all his clothes.   
“You ready to go?” Tony walked back over to the god once he’d finished getting dressed.   
"Of course." he said. "Ready when you are." he said.  
Tony smiled and took Loki’s hand then went with him to the garage. They got into the car and drove off.   
Climbing in, Loki smiled as he could finally fit inside of the car. "What did you do?" he asked.  
Tony grinned at the god and shrugged as he drove along. “I may have made a few adjustments for when you came back.”  
Loki smiled. "Could you teach me how to drive?" he asked.  
Tony looked at the god curiously but nodded. “I don’t see why not.” He chuckled and pulled up to the restaurant.   
"But you have to learn to ride a horse." Loki smiled.  
Tony tensed and looked at the god. “Why?”   
"Because it’s a useful skill." Loki replied.  
“Only if I go horseback riding which I am not going to do. Ever.”   
Loki rolled his eyes. "It very well is." Loki didn't say anything about wanting to take him to Asgard. He'd want that to be a surprise.  
“Look, I don’t trust horses. They’re twice my size and don’t have any feelings.” Tony walked into the restaurant with Loki and they were taken to their own room.  
"They do have feelings. They are very noble creatures. Strong and powerful." Loki commented.  
“Can we not talk about horses when I’m trying to romance you with dinner?” Tony looked at the god and pulled out his seat before sitting across from Loki.  
"Alright, alright." Loki replied as he took his seat. "What do you want to talk about?"  
“Anything but horses and you leaving.” Tony looked up as the waiter walked over.   
“Mr. Stark, good to see you again. Your usual wine?”  
“Actually, we’re having whatever he wants.” Tony smiled at Loki. “Take your pick.”  
"We'll have something red." Loki replied to the waiter. "So what have I missed these last few months?"   
“Barton and Natasha started dating, so there’s that.” Tony shrugged. “We got sent out on another mission. Nothing too big but everybody kinda wished you were there with those shadows.” The inventor grinned. “They won’t admit it.”  
Loki smiled. "I bet they did." he said. Others didn’t like Loki but they liked his powers and his skill. They used what they could. "Shame because I don't think I want to do anymore missions." he smirked.  
“I didn’t figure you would.” Tony couldn’t blame the god really, especially not after his treatment with SHIELD. He was actually more or less relieved to hear this.   
The waiter returned with their wine and served both men before leaving them alone again.   
“Fury wanted me to try and convince you to help on future missions. Guess now I can tell him no.”   
"I used SHIELD for what I needed. They tortured me then let me go. I got what I needed from them and nearly died. The only reason I would go into a mission with people that would still rather see me dead is if you ask me too." Loki replied.  
He couldn’t help feeling a little proud when Loki said that. The inventor swirled his wine and took a small sip, a smile on his face. “I feel special.”  
"As you should. You have the God of Mischief's favor." Loki winked at him.  
Tony felt a rush when Loki said this and he smiled wider. “I’ll try not to lose it.”  
Loki smiled. "It would be wise not to."   
The waiter came over to take their order.  
Tony placed his usual order of their finest steak and fries. “Yeah, I’ve seen you when you’re mad.” Tony smiled at the god. “Not too eager to have you mad at me.”  
Loki ordered steak and vegetable. "Good then. But I doubt I'll be getting mad at you very much."  
“I hope not.” Tony smiled playfully then sipped his wine. “You already threatened to throw me off the tower once.”   
Loki enjoyed the time he got to have with Tony that night. He wasn't looking forward to going up to Jotunheim the following day. They might kill him or capture him and torture him. Or both.  
Or he could end up learning a great many secrets that would only make it harder for him to accept what he was.  
Tony didn’t want the night to end either. He’d just gotten Loki back after the fight with Thanos; he didn’t want to say goodbye again so soon. He tried not to think about Loki’s departure, and focused instead on their time together now.


	141. Chapter 141

Walking through the park after dinner, Loki smiled at Anthony. "I’m surprised you've been taking care of yourself as well as you have been with me gone."  
Tony smiled at the god as they walked along. “I knew if you came back, you’d be upset if I didn’t take care of myself. And Pepper kept reminding me that you’d be back, and that I had to look good for you.”  
"I must thank her then." Loki smiled. "How is Ms. Potts?" Loki asked.  
“She’s doing okay. She asked for you a lot while you were gone.” Tony laced his fingers with Loki’s as they kept walking.   
He'd have to ask Jarvis to send her a message. "Well I'll have to have lunch with her to thank her." Loki smiled.  
“I’m sure she’d like that.” Tony kissed the back of Loki’s hand then sighed. “Guess we should head back to the tower.” He sighed.   
Loki nodded. "We should, it's getting late." Loki replied.  
He didn’t want Loki to go, but Tony knew the god had other duties. Tony couldn’t keep him locked away forever.   
They headed back to the tower and got settled in for the night.   
“You know you could just stay here with me.” Tony gave a little smile, hoping his charm would sway Loki.   
"I could stay. Or I could return. Anthony please, don't make this harder. I said I would return in a few days." Loki reminded him.  
“I know, I know.” Tony looked at the god. “I just…” He pursed his lips. “You do what you have to do.”   
"I promise when I come back, we'll spend an entire day in bed together and nothing else." he smiled.  
“I’m holding you to that.” Tony smiled back and kissed Loki deeply. He held the back of the god’s neck, as if afraid Loki would suddenly vanish.   
Loki wrapped his arms around the man’s waist.  
Tony brought his other arm around Loki and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.   
Finally pulling back, Loki nuzzled him. "Come on."  
Tony went to the bedroom with Loki and changed into some sweats and a t-shirt. “So what’s going to happen when you go back to Jotunheim?” Tony could only imagine Loki wouldn’t receive the warmest of welcomes.   
"Fix whatever damage still remains from when I destroyed it. Perhaps get answers on who and what I am." Loki replied.  
Tony gave a slight nod and sighed. “I hope you get the answers you’re looking for then.”  
Loki nodded. "I do too." he replied. "Come on, please smile for me. I want to see a happy look on your face before I go."  
“If I keep frowning will you come back sooner?” Tony looked up at the god.   
"Maybe." he replied. "But you have to at least give me a little bit of a smile.”  
Well he couldn’t say no to that. Tony grinned up at the god and held him a little closer. “What did you do to me?”  
"Nothing, absolutely nothing." he replied.  
The inventor chuckled and pressed his forehead to Loki’s neck. “Well I like it.”  
"I've honestly never done anything to you." Loki replied. "I've never cast any spell on you." he said.  
“I know. That’s what makes it so much better.” Tony looked into Loki’s eyes. “You didn’t have to do anything.”  
Loki smiled. "I certainly didn't. To bed." he said.  
Tony went with Loki to the bed and pulled him close as they lay there. “Wake me up before you go, okay?”  
"Of course I will." Loki replied.  
“You’d better.” Tony curled close to the god and closed his eyes.  
Loki rubbed Stark's side and back as they drifted off into sleep.  
He enjoyed holding Loki as they slept, but it seemed like the night ended too quickly. Soon Loki was shaking him awake and Tony let out a disappointed groan.   
“Time to go already?”  
"Yes." he replied. "I'll try to be back soon, I promise. Until then, take care of yourself."  
“I will.” Tony smiled at the god then kissed him.   
Loki planted one last kiss on his lips before disappearing. The sound of the Bifrost could be heard as he was whisked away.  
Tony sighed heavily and waited a moment before going back to the bedroom. He flopped onto the bed, and curled up where Loki had slept.   
Heimdall bowed his head when Loki arrived in Asgard. “The Allfather awaits you.”  
Loki nodded to him before heading off to the palace to meet his father.  
Odin waited for his youngest in the throne room. A few guards, standing at the door, bowed their heads to Loki and let him inside.  
"Good morning." Loki greeted the Allfather as he came to stop at his feet.  
Odin nodded his head at Loki then stepped down to him. “We have much to discuss before you return to Jotunheim. Walk with me.”  
Loki nodded as they began their walk out of the throne room. "What do you wish to talk about?" he asked.  
“I simply wish to prepare you, and ask that you reconsider not having guards go with you. I do not want you to come into any more harm.”  
"I thought about that." he said. "I will go alone."  
“Loki, I have already seen you lost.” Odin looked back at his son. “When the Bifrost was destroyed, and then when you were taken by the Chitauri and sent to Midgard. I do not want to lose you again, and neither would your mother.”   
"Then what would you have me do, take Thor?" he asked. "If you do not remember, Thor is not well liked any more than I am." he said.  
Odin gave a slight nod and sighed. “I know of that full well. You were nearly killed in that world Loki. I would not have you lost to that place.” The Allfather looked at his son then away. “You are much wiser than I could have thought. Those years spent on Midgard have truly changed you.”  
Loki nodded. "I am stronger than you give me credit for as well. Father, there are answers to questions that I want. They might have the answers. Besides, I have something I can offer as well." Loki added.  
“If you are set in your decision then I will not stop you. Take only my blessing if you will take no guards.” Odin put a hand on Loki’s shoulder.   
Loki nodded. "I will return." Loki declared.  
“I hope you will and that you will return unharmed.” Odin looked into Loki’s eyes. “Heimdall will keep an eye on you.”  
Nodding, Loki looked up at the sky. "You still never told me why you did it." Loki said.  
“Why I did what?” Odin looked at Loki curiously.   
"You took me from that temple." Loki replied.  
The Allfather looked away from his adopted son. “I do not regret having taken you that day. Despite what has happened, I do not regret bringing home the crying babe I found that day.” He looked out over landscape from where they stood. “I brought you home because you were innocent, Loki. Many children died in that battle. Hundreds of them slain before they were able to walk. When I saw you, I could not bring myself to end your life.” Odin smiled a bit. “I can still remember how small you were.” He held up his arms as if holding a baby. “You barely fit into the crook of my arms.”  
Loki saw the fond look in his father's eyes. "But why did you never tell me? All of what happened could have been avoided."  
“I was afraid of what would happen if you knew the truth. I did not want you to grow up thinking you were not loved. I cannot deny that there were times when I favored Thor, but I never loved you less, and neither did your mother. We did not want you to believe that we favored him for being Aesir.” Odin sighed quietly. “I knew from the moment I saw you in the temple that you were my son, no matter who had birthed you.”  
Loki hugged him. It was not something his family really did. It was more so his mother that passed out hugs to them all. Loki after a certain age stopped giving hugs.  
Odin was caught by surprise for a moment but returned the gesture. “Have you begun hugging again after falling in love your mortal?” He asked slightly amused. Both Heimdall and Thor had been keeping Odin updated on Loki’s relationship with Tony.   
"Don't start, or I won't give them any more." Loki replied, a glint in his eyes as the corners of his mouth twitched up.   
“I meant no offense.” Odin bowed his head slightly. “I am not entirely happy that you chose a mortal but, if what Thor has told me is true, then I am more than happy for you. This is the first time I have seen you so vibrant in years Loki. I would ask for nothing more.”  
"I love him as Thor loves his mortal woman and no, my love is not out of gratitude for him helping me. It's true." he explained.  
“I have seen that. Heimdall has been keeping close watch over you and this mortal. I have seen you love many Loki, and this is different. This is a much truer love. I am glad you have finally been able to experience such a feeling, even if it is only temporary.”  
"Time is the last thing I am trying to think about." Loki replied.   
“I will only tell you the same thing I told Thor: be careful.” Odin knew this love was only fleeting, no matter how deeply Loki felt it. His mortal lover would perish in what felt like the blink of an eye to an Asgardian.  
"I will." Loki dreaded the thought of losing his inventor. He only hoped that something would pull them apart before that day came.  
Odin got Loki prepared for his journey to Jotunheim, then walked his son back to the Bifrost.   
“Do try and come back alive Loki.”  
"I make no promises, Father." Loki looked to Heimdall and nodded. Hopefully he wouldn’t end up dead.  
Bruce and Steve came onto the pent house floor.   
"Hey, you're not wrapped around Loki. I thought him being back you wouldn’t be out of the bed." Bruce smiled.  
Tony looked over at his friend and shrugged. “He had to leave again. He just stopped by so I’d know he wasn’t dead.”  
“Wait, is he not coming back?”  
“No, he will, but he has some things he has to deal with.”  
Steve looked over at him. "I came to apologize to him." Steve said. He didn’t like the god, he wasn't sure if he could even trust him fully, but he did know when to be a man and apologize.  
“I wouldn’t if I were you Cap. Loki isn’t big on apologies; he think they’re empty gestures. You really want to apologize for something? Just show him you’re sorry.”  
"How in the wide world do I do that?" Steve asked. "And what is with him, once it's happened he doesn't want to talk about it anymore or even mention it."  
“That’s kind of the way his whole life has been Rogers. He wants to move past the painful things without ever having to stop and think about them again. That’s the only way he can move on.”  
“I don’t suppose they have therapists in Asgard?” Bruce asked.   
“Doesn’t really matter. Who’s he going to tell that the truth to?”  
"He doesn't lie about everything." Bruce said, looking at Steve.  
"Yeah, yeah, he's made his point." The blonde answered.  
“Look, just leave him alone. Whatever’s happened, happened and there’s no point in going back to it.”  
“So ignore everything?” Steve didn’t like this tactic at all.   
“I mean it Rogers. You’re only going to make him hate you if you keep poking at old wounds.”  
"Alright, alright, I'll keep my mouth shut." he said. "That was all I came over here for so I'm going to head out now. I'll see you around."  
Tony and Bruce both nodded at Steve and said their goodbyes before the doctor sat with his friend at the island.  
“When he is coming back?”  
“In a few days. He has some things he wants to sort out on Jotunheim.”  
“Wait, he didn’t go alone, did he?” Bruce didn’t know the full story, but he knew enough.   
Tony nodded. “He said that was how it had to be.”


	142. Chapter 142

"Let’s hope for your sake he returns in one piece." Bruce said. Bruce didn't think Tony would handle losing anyone else.  
“He promised that he would, and he doesn’t break promises.” At least, Tony hoped not.   
"Alright. Want me to hang around for a bit or do you want to be left alone?" Bruce asked.  
“Why don’t you stay for a bit? We haven’t hung out in a while.” Tony smiled at the doctor. “You want anything to drink?”   
"No, I'm good." He replied. "You haven't been keeping yourself locked up in the lab."  
“No, Jarvis makes sure to remind me that Loki doesn’t like it when I do that.” Tony rolled his eyes.   
"It's for your own good, sir." Jarvis chimed in.  
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”   
Bruce chuckled and shook his head. “At least somebody’s watching out for you.”  
“Pepper stopped by while Loki was gone. She wanted to make sure I wasn’t dying.”  
"Well when you're left alone, you don't do very well by yourself." He said.  
“I know I don’t Bruce. It’d be easier if Loki would quit leaving.” The inventor groused.  
"He's got things to do Tony. Things to fix, I’m sure now that he's allowed home again, he's trying to work things out with his family."  
“I know, I know. I’m happy for him I just like it better when he’s here.”   
Bruce smiled a bit at the man. “Not spoiled at all, are you?”  
“Bruce, this is the first time since Pepper that I have ever wanted something like this. I think I’m allowed to be spoiled.”  
"I guess you're right." Bruce said to him.  
“I just don’t want him to forget that I won’t live forever, you know? I’ve got what, maybe another forty years left?” Tony chuckled dryly. “That’s nothing compared to how old Loki is.”  
"How old is he? How old is Thor for that matter?" Bruce asked.  
“They’re both some thousand years old. I don’t know, the whole aging process is different for them since they live so much longer.”   
"But physically, how old do you think they are?" he asked.  
Tony frowned in thought. “Loki’s one thousand so many years, Thor’s a couple dozen years older than him. I’m not sure exactly.”  
"I think Thor looks like he's about 25. Loki looks like he's about 23 or so." Bruce replied.  
“Yeah, everyone keeps pointing out the fact that Loki looks about half my age.” Tony scoffed and Bruce couldn’t help but laugh.   
“Tony, you used to date women that age anyway!”  
“This is different! We’re actually dating and I look like I could be his father!”  
"Not even. Thor told me what their father looked like and he's far older than you."  
“Of course the guy is older than me, Loki is older than me. You know that’s not what I meant.”  
Bruce laughed a bit harder this time. “Looking older than your supermodel one night stands never bothered you.”  
“This is different!”  
He shook his head. "So he's older than you then why are you complaining?" Bruce asked.  
“Because he looks younger than me Bruce. There are two different magazines that called me a creep for that.”  
"Since when do you ever listen to what other people say?" Bruce asked. "Are you happy with Loki? Do you love him?"  
“I think those two should be obvious by now.” Tony looked at the man. “I do love Loki, and I like to think he sticks around cause he loves me too.”  
"If he didn't love you, would he have bothered to come back after he was taken to Asgard in the first place?" Bruce questioned.   
The inventor nodded. “That’s true. Guess he found something about me to keep coming back to.” Tony grinned.  
"He'll be back." Bruce told him. "But in the mean, time you need to eat."  
Tony rolled his eyes. “You’re all going to make me fat, you know that?” The inventor thought for a moment. “How does Chinese sound?”  
"Chinese food sounds good." Bruce replied. "I'm already putting in the order for it." he said.  
Tony nodded and they waited for the food to arrive.   
Putting on a movie, the pair was able to sit down and enjoy a decent movie while they ate.  
“These movies seem so ridiculous and then I realize you and I work for a secret organization of superheroes.” Tony noted before taking a bite of his food.  
Bruce started laughing. "Stupid." He chuckled shaking his head. "But hey, we're a pretty amazing group."  
“Yeah, I guess sometimes we are.” Tony smiled then reached for some more chicken.   
Bruce smiled at him.   
It was nearly a week before Loki finally came back. When he did, it was night time and even though New York never slept, it was at its quietest now.  
Tony was in his room, passed out across the bed. He had Loki’s pillow wrapped in his arms.  
Loki slowly pulled the pillow away from him before trying to slide into his arms.  
Tony snorted and jolted awake, though clearly he was still out of his wits. He looked around then gave Loki a sleepy smile and pulled him close. “Hi Reindeer Games.” He mumbled.   
"Hello to you too." He smiled.  
Tony pulled the god close and mumbled something under his breath as he started falling asleep again.   
Once his lover was asleep again, he settled in himself.  
Hours later the sun rose, and Tony woke to a cool feeling against his body. He smiled a bit, hoping that meant what he thought it meant. He opened his eyes slowly and his smile grew when he saw Loki there.  
Loki shifted a bit so he was closer and tucking his face into Tony's chest further.   
He held onto the god tighter, watching Loki as he slept. Tony really enjoyed this, having Loki curled up with him.   
Loki finally started to come around. "Good morning, Anthony."  
“Morning. When did you get back?”  
"Few hours ago." he replied.  
“Oh. So I wasn’t dreaming earlier?”   
"No, you were not. I'm back for a few days."  
Tony scoffed when he heard it wouldn’t be a longer visit. “When do I get you back for a longer time?”  
"When things settle down and the building of Jotunheim no longer needs me."  
He groaned dramatically and ran his hands over his face. “I’m going to be dead before I can have you back for more than three days at a time.”  
"Not true." Loki replied. "I need to make things right, you were given your chance and I need mine."  
“I know.” Tony scoffed and curled up closer to Loki. “I know.”  
"It'll be over before you know." Loki replied.  
He wanted to trust those words but Tony just knew the next months or years Loki spent going to Jotunheim would be hell. He didn’t want this, but he knew it was the only way things could work. Tony pressed his forehead to Loki’s shoulder.   
"If you don't like it, then end the relationship." Loki ordered.  
“That’s not funny.” Tony looked at the god seriously. “I never said anything about ending what we have.” He felt his heart start to race in his chest and his mind was flooding with thoughts.  
"Then accept what I have to do and keep your complaints to yourself." he said.  
The inventor pursed his lips but nodded. “Yeah.”   
For as much as Loki loved Stark, he did not want to hear him complain every time he needed to come and go.  
“I just miss you.” Tony spoke after a moment. “I’m not used to having you gone.”  
"I know you aren't, I’m not either." he replied.  
He looked into the god’s eyes then curled close to him again. “I’ll just enjoy you while I have you then.”  
He nodded. "Yeah." he said.  
Tony stayed tangled with Loki for a while before they got up to get some breakfast.   
Loki ate like he hadn't eaten in days. "All they eat on Jotunheim is meat." he said.  
Tony snorted, trying not to laugh. “Seriously?”  
"Yes." Loki replied. "And there are only so many times you can stand to eat fish." He replied.  
“So I guess we shouldn’t have steak tonight, huh?” Tony teased.  
"Not tonight." He replied.  
Tony couldn’t help laughing a bit. “Salads it is. Or we could get cheesy fries.”  
"I think we can do cheesy fries." Loki answered.  
“Good!” Tony clapped his hands together. “Jarvis…”  
“I’ve already ordered your usual Sir.”  
"Thank you Jarvis." Loki smiled.   
"You are welcome, Mr. Laufeyson. It is a pleasure to have you back."  
Tony smiled, nodding his agreement. “Jarvis misses playing chess with you.”  
“Sir, your cheese fries have arrived.”   
Tony stood to get them when Pepper walked in, bags in her hands.   
“So when were you going to tell me Loki was back?” She furrowed her brow at Tony, but had a smile as she walked in.   
"I returned in the middle of the night Ms. Potts." Loki replied. "Hello." He smiled at her in greeting.  
"You look good. Better than I thought you would from what Tony told me about that fight with Thanos." she said.  
"My father had the best healers in Asgard tending to me around the clock."  
“That’s good to hear.” Pepper set the bags of food down. “Jarvis told me you two wanted cheese fries. Do you mind if I join you?”  
“Go ahead.” Tony went over to the bags and fished out the fries. “They smell so good.”  
"Not at all Ms. Pots." Loki pulled out a chair for her to sit down while he got plates for the three of them.  
Pepper sat down with them at the table.   
“You want anything to drink Pep?”  
“Just some tea.”  
Tony got the water going then got a soda out of the fridge.   
Loki fixed Pepper her tea and set it down before her.   
"Thank you Loki. So where did you go?"  
"To Jotunheim, the realm of my birth. I met my brothers."  
Pepper looked at Loki curiously for a moment. “Wait…is that the same place you said you tried to destroy before?”  
“Same place.” Tony added in then ate some of his fries. “He’s been trying to help them rebuild it.”  
"Why are you going back to help them rebuild though? You said you hated them."  
"What I said was out of anger. I've learned a great deal about what happened in that time so many years ago." Loki explained.  
Pepper gave a slight nod. “How did they take it when you went back?”  
"They were still angry at my betrayal and what I did when I killed Laufey but they understood it as well. We sat down and they explained a great deal to me. I'm also the eldest."  
Pepper smiled. “Must be nice to have siblings then. I’m glad you’ve been able to fix this.”  
"That still remains to be seen. I’m still smaller than them; they dote on me." he sighed.  
Pepper looked at Loki curiously. “Well how much bigger are they?”  
Tony grinned, waiting for her reaction to what Loki would say.  
"According to Jarvis, I stand at six foot two inches tall." he started. "My brother each stand at fifteen feet."  
Pepper’s eyes widened. “Fifteen feet?”  
“Well they are giants Pepper.”   
The redhead pursed her lips at Tony and swatted at his arm.  
"They are. We are called Frost Giants, or Jotuns more accurately." Loki replied.  
“Jotuns.” Pepper repeated. “That must be pretty terrifying.”  
"As a child yes." he replied. "But now is it just normal." he said.  
“I’m glad you’re getting this chance with your family.” Pepper smiled. “What are they like?”


	143. Chapter 143

"Since the death of Laufey, Helbindi has taken over the throne. He is not always as serious. Bileystr is however very laid back about things. He prefers to hunt."  
“They sound nice. And very different from Thor.”   
Tony laughed a bit. “They do huh? Hope they don’t hug like he does.”  
"They do not hug like Thor does. They were very gentle about it."  
“You got lucky there then.” Pepper smiled.   
“Yeah, Thor likes to challenge himself to try and break your back.”  
"He doesn't do it on purpose." He said.  
“As far as I know.” Tony shook his head and ate more of his fries.  
Pepper smiled then looked back at Loki. “Must be nice to learn so much about your history though.”  
Loki nodded. "I've learned a few new tricks."  
“And you’ve found more family.” Pepper noted.  
Loki agreed. "What did I miss?" he asked.  
“Not much, really.” Tony shrugged. “The usual Hydra movement, but nothing bad enough for us to move in.”  
“Well I’m glad you haven’t been on missions while Loki’s been gone.” Pepper pursed her lips. She worried for Tony so much when he went out.  
"There's still a chance for it to happen." Loki said.  
“I don’t think she likes you saying that.” Tony grinned playfully.  
“I just don’t want you getting hurt.”  
"Ms. Potts, sooner or later you will have to come to terms with it. If he gets hurt in the field or even blows himself up in the lab, you cannot stop him. It would be like trying to prevent him from getting a paper cut." Loki said.  
Pepper furrowed her brow at Loki. “Don’t encourage him. You of all people should know how reckless he can be.”  
“Hey!” Tony pouted.   
"Of course I do. But telling him isn’t going to make him stop."  
Pepper sighed though she knew well enough that was true. She’d harped on Tony many times before realizing that “stay safe” wasn’t exactly something he could do.   
Loki chucked. "One day Ms. Potts he won’t be able to cause any trouble."  
“By then I’ll probably be dead though.” Tony shrugged and smiled when Pepper smacked his arm.  
"No need for that." Loki said to her.  
A pager beeped and Pepper scoffed. “I have to go. It was nice seeing you again Loki.” She smiled at the god.   
"And you as well Ms. Potts. Take care." Loki told her.  
Pepper waved at them both then left.   
Tony finished his fries and licked his lips. “She worries too much about me.”  
"She cares. There are only so many times the heart can handle near death experiences of loved ones." he said.  
“Yeah and she’s had plenty of them with me. And then when she was taken and used for Extremis.” Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose. “She’s tough.”  
Loki nodded. "She is, but she still worries."  
Tony smiled a bit and nodded his head. “I wouldn’t mess with her on my best day.’  
"Good, I think she could take you." Loki said.  
Tony laughed and shook his head. “Gee thanks.”  
"Come on, come lay down with me and watch a movie."  
Tony perked up and quickly went with Loki. He wasn’t about to say no to an offer like that.  
Loki asked Jarvis for a romantic comedy that they could watch together.  
Tony got some popcorn and drinks for them then snuggled up with the god. “What are we watching?”  
"27 dresses." Loki replied.  
“You have the strangest taste sometimes.”  
“He is dating you Sir.”  
Tony frowned at the ceiling and stuffed some popcorn into his mouth.  
Loki chuckled. "Oh stop it Anthony." Loki replied.  
Tony pouted at the god. “He’s picking on me.”   
"He is not, you're just being childish because he said I was dating you. Now stop it before I reprogram him and go back to Asgard."  
Tony pursed his lips slightly then looked at the movie. “Sorry.”  
Kissing his cheek, Loki smiled. "Forgiven."  
Tony smiled back and grabbed some more popcorn.  
The time for Loki to leave again came all too soon.  
Tony was saddened when that day came, but it was slowly getting easier to say good bye. “Bring me back a souvenir.” He winked at Loki.  
"I'll keep that in mind." he smiled at him.  
Tony leaned up and kissed Loki. “Take care of yourself.”  
"You do the same." he said.  
Tony watched Loki go as the Bifrost opened up. Light engulfed the god and then he was gone. The inventor sighed and headed back inside.  
In Jotunheim, Loki got an idea of what to bring back for Anthony.  
“You are searching for a gift?” Helbindi asked Loki as he walked over to his brother.  
"Yes, I want to bring him something but what do you give a man that in his own realm can have anything he wants?"  
“There are a great many thing to give him. Midgardian currency cannot purchase anything. It has very little value here, for example. I am sure he will enjoy anything you bring.” Helbindi looked at his brother. “Perhaps an amulet?”  
He hummed. "A bracelet then. He is not one for necklaces." he replied.   
Helbindi nodded. “That sounds like a good gift to me.” He gave a little smile.  
Loki picked the gift needed, smiling to himself all the while.  
“You are certainly quite pleased with yourself.” Helbindi teased.   
"Yes, yes, I am." he smiled at him.   
Helbindi chuckled and shook his head. “I certainly hope your Man of Iron enjoys the gift then.”  
Loki nodded. "I'm sure he will." Seeing something he liked, he picked it up. "May I barrow this?" he asked.  
"Brother, you need not ask, you are welcome to anything here." Helbindi told him.   
This trip felt oddly longer than usual, but at least he had Thor to keep him company…for whatever that was worth. And since Loki wasn’t around, Tony took the chance to pick up an old habit: drinking.   
He and Thor sat at the bar, laughing as they swapped stories.   
“Did my brother tell you of the time he turned out father’s bear green?”  
“No! What happened?”  
Thor giggled. “He was first beginning his more serious tutelage of magic. Loki was so proud of his natural talent, and wished to show our father, but he had not learned the spell well enough yet.”  
Tony grinned. “What was he trying to do?”  
"What he was trying to do was turn the cloth of our father's tunic green and with a slight slip of the tongue, he turned the beard green instead." Thor chuckled. "Father was not mad of course, but he did have mother change it back."  
Tony laughed and shook his head. “That must have been quite a sight!”  
“Oh indeed it was!” Thor grinned and drank some more ale.   
Tony smiled before sipping his own drink. “I remember the time I made my first invention. It was supposed to be a little dancing robot, but the springs in the neck weren’t tight enough. I tried to show it to my dad and the head popped off so hard it gave him a black eye.”  
Arriving at the tower, Loki frowned when he saw that Tony was not there.  
"He is out with Thor sharing a drink and swapping stories with him." Jarvis told.  
Tony laughed as Thor told him another story before checking the time. “W-We should head back to the thing.”  
Thor grinned and nodded, his nose red. “Aye, you are right!” He stood and swayed a bit.   
The bartender looked at them worried. “You’re not driving, are you?”  
“Pfft, no! Jarvis is gonna drive.” Tony drawled and got to his feet, heading out with Thor.  
Loki was in the bed waiting for him. He'd settled down after a hot shower and small meal.  
Tony was giggling as he walked into the tower but his face dropped when he noticed how quiet it was.   
“Sir, Mr. Laufeyson is in the bedroom.”  
Tony perked up again then stopped. He wreaked of booze. He cringed and cursed himself mentally.  
"If it helps any, he's fast asleep. There is a change of clothes for you down in the lab and you could take a shower, I have not told him you are back."  
“Good, good.” Tony turned to go into his lab and nearly tripped over a chair, snorting and giggling. He made it into his lab and stripped down, leaving clothes everywhere as he reached for the clean clothes.   
Once he’d finished changing, he went to one of the guest rooms for a shower; might as well let Loki sleep. He bathed and went to sleep in the guest room.  
"Will you not join Mr. Laufeyson?" Jarvis asked.  
“I-Jarvis I’m drunk.” Tony giggled. “I don’t wanna wake him up smelling like…drunk.”  
"Very well, Sir." Thought Jarvis knew Loki would find him later.  
Tony snuggled into the bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. He yawned and fell asleep.  
Loki was up with the sun the following morning and frowning when he saw that Anthony had not come home.  
"Jarvis?"  
"Mr. Stark is alive and well and sleeping off a hung over."  
"Thank you Jarvis."  
Tony groaned as he lay on the bed. Not drinking for a long time and then drinking like a college kid was obviously a bad idea.  
"This is what happens when you try to keep up with Thor." Loki chuckled.  
Tony whimpered and turned over, looking at Loki. “I wasn’t tryin’ to at first. Then he got me talking.” Tony rubbed his temples and sighed. “Did you sleep okay?”  
Loki chuckled. "I slept just fine, but you've been a bad boy. I think I should keep the gift I got for you."  
Tony blinked then quickly sat up. “You actually brought me a gift?”  
"Yes, yes I did." he said to him.  
“What is it?” Tony asked with a little smile.  
"You have to come get it." he said.  
Tony jumped up then groaned and clutched his head. “Head rush.”  
"Try hung over." Loki smirked. He was enjoying. "Take your time and find me in the kitchen."  
Tony rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. “I’m not crippled.” He pouted.  
Loki slipped the box across the counter for him. "There."  
Tony looked at it curiously and pulled the box closer. “Kinda cold. What is it?” He smiled and opened the box, looking at the amulet curiously. “What…is it?” He picked it up, awestruck.  
"It's a bracelet. The stone is found only in the caves of Jotunheim. Wear it well." Loki replied.   
Tony slipped it on and smiled. “Hah! This is pretty amazing. Feels kinda cold.”  
"It does that and it warms to to body temperature." He replied.   
“Pretty nice. Does it do anything else?” Tony looked the bracelet over, impressed by its craftsmanship.  
"No, it's mostly just to look nice." Loki replied. "Jarvis tells me you have a fundraiser this evening."   
Tony smiled at the amulet then looked back at Loki. “Hmm? Oh yeah, it’s a fundraiser for some…thing.”  
“Your cancer research fund Sir.”  
“Yeah.”  
"The other Avengers will be there as well. Ms. Potts had a suit ordered for you as well Mr. Laufeyson" Jarvis said.   
Loki smiled. "Then I guess we're going out tonight. I'm going out for a few hours." Loki said.  
“Out? To where?” Tony looked at the god curiously.


	144. Chapter 144

"To pick up something." Loki replied. "Don't worry; I will see you tonight if we don't meet up before then."  
Tony smiled at those words and nodded. “Alright. Just as long as you’re there.”  
"I will be there. I promise." Loki replied.  
“Good.” Tony winked at the god.   
Later that evening, he was getting dressed for the party.   
“How do I look Jarvis?”  
“Quite handsome Sir.”  
Loki had no intention of going to the party as himself, so once he'd left the tower, he shifted into his female form to go find a dress for the night. The man was smiling to himself in the mirror as he got ready. Stark had no idea what Loki was up too.  
Tony arrived as the party started, greeting his friends and being polite before looking for Pepper. “Nice dress.”  
“Thanks.” She smiled. “Where’s Loki?”  
“He’s coming, don’t worry. He just had something to do.”  
The woman that walked into the ballroom did so with great confidence. The dress she wore started off green and faded into black as it reached the bottom, the beading giving it a certain shimmer. Lips painted red, attractively pale skin, and black hair trailing down her shoulders in waves.  
"Who is that?" Clint asked, seeing the woman walk in.  
"You don't stand a chance." Bruce replied.  
Tony looked over and knew in an instant who it was. God, if Loki wasn’t absolutely stunning. Every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on the god, and with good reason. What did bring an even bigger smile to Tony’s face however, was that no one else knew who it was.   
Pepper looked over, absolutely taken by the woman. “Tony, is that…?”  
“Yep.”  
“Wow.”  
Loki spotted Tony and winked at him before continuing on through the room. Loki couldn't go right to Stark; it would give away who he was.  
It was Steve that braved the floor first to go dance with her.  
"Make sure you keep it in your pants Rogers."   
Steve frowned back at the others then smiled politely at the mystery woman. “May I have the first dance?”   
Tony forced himself not to laugh, but he couldn’t help smiling.  
"How could a woman refuse a dance from Captain Rogers himself?" She asked. "I would love too."   
Steve of course was very polite, and kept his hands in the right place as they danced.  
Tony watched with an amused little smile, but he couldn’t help feeling…jealous.   
Pepper seemed to know this as she leaned in. “He’s just having fun.”  
“I didn’t say anything.”  
"But you've got that look in your eyes."   
Across the room, Loki's eyes fell on Tony and he winked at him, before laughing at something the captain said.   
Tony scoffed, sipping his drink before seeing the look on Pepper’s face. He frowned. “I’m not jealous.”  
She grinned. “Yeah.”  
When the dance was over, Steve kissed Loki on the cheek before letting her go. Loki ended up dancing with a good number of men and had a number of dirty looks with the other women.  
He finally made his way over to Tony with a smile. "The great Tony Stark." she smiled.  
“My lady.” Tony replied teasingly and smiled. “I don’t think we’ve met before.”  
“Oh please.” Pepper smiled and rolled her eyes then walked off to let them talk.  
"One dance, another, keep it to the length of the others. I’m having fun with this." he said. "I need to keep up the game until morning."  
Tony chuckled. “And when are you gonna dance with me?”  
"Now." Loki replied as they headed for the dance floor.  
Tony smiled and followed Loki out onto the floor. He put one hand on the god’s waist and took his hand with the other. “You know, everybody’s going to think I’m cheating on you.”   
"If they say anything, just say it was a dance and that we were doing business." Loki replied.  
“You really planned this out, didn’t you?” Tony danced with Loki slowly, catching some of the glances around the room. “So, when are you going to tell them this is you?”   
“Tomorrow morning." Loki replied. "I noticed Jarvis was making preparations for everyone to stay the night at the tower. We will leave separately and I will meet you back in your room." he smiled.  
“I like your plan.” Tony smiled then twirled Loki once before pulling him close again. “So, what name did you pick for tonight?”  
"Anthy." Loki replied.  
“Nice name.” Tony continued dancing with Loki, or Anthy, and they continued drawing attention.   
After a while, they stopped dancing and Loki went off to head on home for the night.  
Tony left with the god and glanced back. God everyone looked furious. He smiled to himself; this would be hilarious come morning.  
The following morning, everyone had already gathered in the kitchen for breakfast. Pancakes, orange juice, and fruit were in abundance.   
When Tony came out, Steve and Clint just glared at the man.   
"You had to talk her into your bed?" They asked.  
Tony smiled playfully and shrugged. “It was a very important meeting.” He went over to get some coffee.   
Even Bruce was giving him dirty looks. “I thought you were serious about Loki?”  
“I am.”  
Just then, the woman from the night before came into the kitchen wearing Tony's shirt from the night before and a pair of boxers. Even the morning after she was still beautiful.  
"Is there anymore orange juice?" she asked looking around in the fridge.  
When she got no answer she stood up to see everyone looking at her and then looked down at her appearance. "Oh right." she said in a tone that was very matter of fact. There was a faint green glow around her body as she shifted from female to male. Loki just smiled at everyone. "Good morning."   
Tony smiled wide at the look on everyone’s face.   
Steve sat perfectly still, as if he were slowly putting the pieces together. “Oh my God…”  
Clint shook his head slowly, the realization of who that woman from last night had been dawning on him.   
Bruce however snorted and shook his head. “Oh my God Tony.”  
“Yeah, I know. I’m irresistible.”   
"Agent Barton, please shut up you were drooling over my form as well." Loki went over to Steve and offered him a small smile. "Please forgive me Captain, I thought it best if I not go as my real self. Safety reasons and all that."   
Steve gave a slight smile and shook his head. “Makes sense.”  
“I’m going to go.” Clint stood awkwardly and walked out.   
Bruce chuckled. “Do you see what you two did? We were all ready to tear you a new one Tony.”  
“Come on Bruce, I’m not going to cheat on Loki. One: it was really hard getting a date. And two: he can toss me into hell so.”   
Natasha's smile was turning into a frown. No one but Tony had seen Loki since the last battle. They'd all asked a number of times what should and shouldn't be said.  
"I better go make sure Clint isn't trying to kill himself for thinking Loki was hot. Was a great joke." she said before heading off.  
Tony watched her go then looked at Loki. “I don’t think they liked your prank.” He smiled.   
"Don't care, I enjoyed it. It was for me not them." Loki replied.   
Tony stepped over to the god and kissed his cheek. “You’re awful.” Tony chuckled.  
"Aren't I the worst?" he asked with a grin. "Now breakfast." Loki helped himself to the already prepared food and sat down with his boyfriend, the doctor, and captain to eat.  
"So Loki where have you been? You kind of just disappeared and then suddenly you're back." Steve pointed out.  
"I went to Asgard to recover. I've been reinstated as prince and I've been working to help restore my birth realm."  
“Sounds like a lot of work. Your family happy to have you back in one piece?”   
Tony sat and sipped his coffee.   
"Of course." Loki replied. "My brothers are quite happy to know me and I them."  
“That’s good to hear.” Steve nodded his head slightly.   
Bruce hummed in response. “Could have been a lot uglier I guess.”  
“Yeah, it could have been.” Tony sipped his coffee.  
"Very well could have been. They might have killed me. I did kill our father, after all." Loki said.  
“Doesn’t really sound like they’d have too many reasons to be nice. What made them change their mind?”  
“His irresistible face.” Tony noted.  
"A number of things. I was cast out for being small, fated to die. Small or not, I was still Laufey's child. They felt that I should have been raised by them, especially when they saw what power I held."  
“You’re lucky to have that now.”   
“He really is.” Bruce nodded in agreement.  
"So do we ever get to see what you really look like?" Steve asked.  
"No."  
Steve gave a slight nod, looking at his hands. “Sorry for asking.”  
Bruce kept quiet, understanding the important of keeping his other side hidden.


	145. Final Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well everyone it's the final chapter. We had so much fun writing this, we are so glad to have posted it. After a hundred and 145 chapters we are done. From both of us, thank you so much for reading.

“I know, you’ve told me.” Tony smiled.   
"Good night Anthony." he smiled.   
The next few days passed through rather pleasantly until Stark managed to piss Loki off.  
“Okay, I really think you’re blowing this out of proportion!” Tony ducked as Loki threw another lamp at him. “You know getting angry isn’t helping!”  
"You were staring at another person!" Loki shouted. "Not just looking or glancing but staring at her, ogling as if I hadn't been there."  
“She looked just like you in your female form! I thought it was a clone or something!” Tony yelped and ducked again.   
"Bullshit Stark!" Loki growled. "Fine, you want to be out of your pants so badly? Enjoy finding them." Loki disappeared from sight and with him went every pair of pants Stark owned.  
“Loki? Loki!” Tony looked down when he legs felt oddly cold. He gasped then ran into his closet, but every pair of pants he owned, suit pants and sweat pants included, had vanished. “Loki!”  
"He's not here Mr. Stark." Jarvis replied.  
“Shut up! I know that!” Tony growled upset and sat on the couch. He tapped his foot angrily, lips pursed.   
“Sir…”  
“I thought it was a clone! I thought he was a clone and that he showed up in his female form! And this wouldn’t be the first time he’s done it either!”  
"It would have been the first time he used a clone and his female form." Jarvis explained. "I've ordered all new pants for you as well."  
“Thanks.” Tony groused.   
“Sir…”  
“I thought it was him.”  
Jarvis sighed. What was he really going to do to change his creator's mind?   
Loki finally returned that night, less angry and in time to take a shower. It had been all over the news about random pairs of pants showing up across the country.  
Tony pursed his lips. The world had really begun to enjoy the hunt for the mystery pants. Already there were small competitions to see who could find the most. Of course this meant he would never get most of them back.   
Of course when Loki found out about the competition he joined in and cheated, using his magic to find much of it all.  
Tony sat in his lab, a towel wrapped around his waist when he got a message from Bruce.   
/”Are those your pants?”/  
Tony huffed upset.   
/”Yes, they are.”/  
/Why are they all over the country?/   
Banner questioned.  
Tony sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose.   
/”Because I saw a woman today that looked exactly like him in his female form and Loki caught me staring. So he took all my pants and tossed them around the damn country.”/  
/Define stare./  
/I was trying to figure out if it was a trick. I’m telling you, she looked almost exactly like Loki in his female form. I was trying to figure out if that was him or a clone./  
/I can't help you. But I do have a pair of your pants./  
/Don’t tell me you joined this stupid competition thing./  
/No. They just appeared, which is why I tested you./  
/That’s not funny. I’m never getting those pants back!/  
Two moments later, five pairs of pants fell onto the work bench.  
Tony jumped back then blinked curiously at his pants. He scoffed, thinking it was just more of his pants randomly appearing.   
"There are more in your closet, no I’m not bringing them all back." he said.  
Tony turned back and saw Loki. He scoffed then stood. “So was this just because you wanted to have a good laugh or have your lie detecting powers broken?” Tony crossed his arms. “Cause I know you know I was telling the truth.”  
"You still stared at her when I was right there in front of you." he said.  
Tony sighed heavily but nodded. “You’re right, I did. And I shouldn’t have, no matter how she looked.”  
"I know you fancy my female form but doing that could almost give one the impression that you don't like my current one." Loki replied. That had been part of the reason he'd been so angry.  
Tony gave a slight nod. “I love every form you take. It just caught me off guard thinking you were out in public disguised like that.” Tony walked over to the god. “But I fell in love with you. Not just your form, but you. And I fell in love with you when you looked like this.”  
Loki nodded. Leaning in, he kissed Tony on the forehead. “But know this, my female form can stop a truck." he replied. And not just literally, he went to cross the street one day and the truck slammed on the breaks.  
Tony just smiled. “Oh trust me, I know. But this form can do a lot of pretty amazing things too.” Tony leaned up and kissed Loki softly.  
Loki smiled at him. "I love you." he replied.  
“I love you too. And I’m going to be working late tonight.” Tony smiled apologetically. “Fury wants a new grid setup for SHIELD mainframe.”  
Loki sighed. "Of course he does. Don't work all night."  
“I’ll try.” Tony smiled then kissed Loki again.  
Heading upstairs, Loki had a shower and got himself settled in bed.  
Tony stayed in the lab a bit longer than he’d planned. He’d been going through, building new systems for Fury and a few new machines as well.  
By the he’d finished, Tony was covered in grease and a few char marks as well. He huffed and headed upstairs, ready to sleep.  
Loki woke up as Tony entered the room.  
Tony tried to be as quiet as he could when he walked into the room. He went over to the bed, grease stains and all, and collapsed onto the sheets.  
Loki moved a bit as he proceeded to literally kick the man out of bed and onto the floor. "Go shower. You're filthy."  
He was half-asleep already, and Tony simply let out a groan and looked up before falling over onto the floor. "Ow...." Tony frowned and looked up at Loki. "Love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't really think it was over did you? The story picks up with One day Down Eternity to go. Enjoy.


End file.
